A Griffon's Loyalty
by TheGoldenYoshichu
Summary: After re-befriending Rainbow Dash and being inspired by her unswerving loyalty towards her friends, Gilda decides that her new friends need to know that she will always be there for them. While Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie have befriended and forgiven Gilda, the other ponies still remain skeptical. Can Gilda earn their trust? Sequel to A Griffon's Redemption.
1. Chapter 1: Griffon a Second Impression

**Chapter 1: Griffon a Second Impression**

It was a bright sunny morning when the brown and white griffon named Gilda woke up. She got out of her bed, stretched her wings, and walked out of her bedroom. In the kitchen, she saw her best friend: the light blue rainbow maned pegasus pony Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was Gilda's first and only friend for a long time. After being split up after a mere six months together, Gilda was able to see Rainbow Dash again three and a half years later. However, a combination of some hostile ponies, a few misunderstandings, as well as the griffon's rather aggressive personality forced Rainbow Dash to break off their friendship, much to the heartache of both of them. Roughly a year later, Gilda returned to Ponyville seeking forgiveness. However, while Rainbow Dash truly wanted to forgive her former friend, she couldn't be sure that Gilda was willing to change her attitude, and so she regrettably rejected her. Gilda had just about given up hope, but with the help of some unlikely friends, the griffon managed to earn Rainbow Dash's forgiveness and the two were just as close as they were before. Now they both lived together in Rainbow Dash's cloud house in the sky above Ponyville.

Gilda noticed that Rainbow Dash was too busy making breakfast for herself and Gilda to notice her entrance. Grinning mischievously to herself, the griffon crouched down low and silently snuck up behind the pegasus. Once she was directly behind Rainbow Dash, she wrapped her forelegs tightly around her best friend, causing Rainbow Dash to gasp in surprise. Gilda had always been a bit of a prankster, and she knew that Rainbow Dash was usually receptive to a good joke. Rainbow Dash turned to face Gilda with an angry look, which soon softened to a playful smile. Then the pegasus pony returned Gilda's hug eagerly.

"Morning Dash." Gilda said cheerfully. The griffon usually referred to Rainbow Dash as 'Dash' but sometimes she had another nickname for the rainbow maned pegasus. This nickname however, was only used during very special moments.

"Right back at ya G!" Rainbow Dash replied in her own cheerful voice. Similar to Gilda calling her 'Dash', Rainbow Dash referred to Gilda as 'G'. Just like Gilda, Rainbow Dash had another name for her best friend which she only used on special occasions. "Why'd you have to sneak up on me?" the pegasus continued with a fake pout.

"You know I couldn't resist messing with ya." the griffon answered. "You should have seen the look on your face. Totally priceless!"

Rainbow Dash continued with her false pout, but then her expression changed to mimic Gilda's mischievous grin. She wrapped one foreleg around Gilda's neck and with her other foreleg, she rubbed the top of Gilda's head with her hoof. Gilda grinned and the two of them laughed wildly before Rainbow Dash finally let go of the griffon. The pegasus went back to making breakfast, and while Gilda offered to help, Rainbow Dash refused. Both of them knew that Gilda's cooking abilities were not really the best to say the least. The griffon wasn't exactly a bad cook, but the only meals that she could cook were foods that ponies usually didn't eat, such as meat for example. Like most griffons, Gilda's diet usually consisted of meat. Now that she lived in Ponyville however, she had to adapt to other foods that were served. Luckily for her, Rainbow Dash always found a way to make seemingly boring foods like hay fries taste almost as good as a plate of bacon. Rainbow Dash may not have been a meat eater like Gilda, but she wanted her best friend to be as comfortable as possible.

Once breakfast had finally finished cooking, the duo sat down and ate the food that the pegasus had cooked. Gilda enjoyed every bite of her best friend's cooking. Rainbow Dash had done it again. She had taken a food that Gilda would normally never eat and turned it into something delicious.

"Hey Dash." Gilda began in a bit of an uncertain tone. "Do you think your friends will like me?"

Rainbow Dash looked at the griffon in surprise. It wasn't like Gilda to be concerned with what others thought of her. Gilda seemed a little uncomfortable about the subject and Rainbow Dash's eyes widened a little as she understood.

"I'm sure they will G." the pegasus replied. "They just need to get to know you. Pinkie's been nice to you right?"

"Yeah but she's the one that helped me get you back." Gilda replied. "Do you think the others might still hate me?"

Rainbow Dash looked at Gilda with an expression that was hard to read. She thought on how best to phrase her next statement and ultimately decided to just be honest.

"They don't hate you G." the pegasus reassured her friend. "They just never got over your first impression." She gave Gilda a look that she hoped would inspire some confidence. It worked. She saw Gilda's facial expression change from sadness, to hope, to her usual grin.

"Guess I'll have to give them a second impression then." the griffon replied confidently.

"That's the spirit G!" Rainbow Dash replied. "Just remember what I told ya and you'll be fine."

"Yeah yeah I know." the griffon answered. "Don't badmouth books around Twilight Sparkle. Don't insult fashion around Rarity. Don't badmouth Rarity around Spike. Don't worry Dash. I won't start anything."

"I know you won't G." the rainbow maned pony replied. "I just wanna make sure you don't get off on the wrong hoof with them."

"Twice." Gilda added with a sheepish grin.

The duo finished their breakfast and left the house. They flew down from the clouds and landed gracefully on the ground side by side. The duo walked through Ponyville together. While most of the ponies that were up greeted Rainbow Dash cheerfully, they didn't give Gilda the same treatment. The ponies around the griffon weren't glaring at her like they used to, but they weren't being as friendly to the griffon as they were to the pegasus. Gilda decided to ignore the ponies in town for now and instead focus on Rainbow Dash's friends.

"So Dash." Gilda began. "Who should I talk to first?"

Rainbow Dash knew what Gilda meant by that question. The answer wasn't as easy. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a moment before making up her mind.

"You should start with Applejack." the pegasus answered. "If she can forgive you then the others definitely will."

The duo walked towards Sweet Apple Acres where they would find the cowgirl pony. Along the way, Rainbow Dash filled Gilda in on everything the griffon would need to know so that she could avoid getting Applejack angry.

"Just remember G." the pegasus said as they got closer to the farm. "Applejack's the Element of Honesty so she can spot a lie in a heartbeat."

"I'm not gonna lie to her Dash." the griffon replied honestly. "If I'm gonna get her to forgive me then I'm gonna be straight with her."

Rainbow Dash nodded approvingly at Gilda's response and once the duo reached the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, the pegasus remembered that she needed to get to work and she left Gilda after wishing her luck.

"Okay." the griffon whispered to herself. "Here we go."

The griffon proceeded to the door of Applejack's home and knocked.


	2. Chapter 2: Fevers, Chores and Shivers

**Chapter 2: Fevers, Chores, and Shivers**

Gilda knocked on the front door of Applejack's house and waited for a response. None came after a minute, so the griffon knocked again, but this time she knocked a little louder. This time she definitely heard some movement within the house. The door opened and Gilda was face to face with an orange earth pony wearing a cowboy hat.

"Hey um Applejack." Gilda began nervously. "Nice to see ya."

The cowgirl's eyes narrowed as she looked at Gilda. The griffon remembered Rainbow Dash saying that Applejack was especially angry with Gilda for the way she scared Granny Smith. Applejack didn't take too kindly to griffons that scared her grandmother. Gilda also remembered hearing about how Applejack took great offense to the griffon's theft of an apple since apples were the livelihood of her family.

"What do ya want Gilda?" Applejack asked in a rather annoyed tone. "Ah ain't got time to chitchat so y'all had better make it quick."

"Well I came here to um apologize and to ask if we could be friends." the griffon responded.

Applejack was definitely skeptical of Gilda's intentions. While being the Element of Honesty allowed her to know that she wasn't being lied to, it didn't make it any easier for the cowgirl to trust the griffon.

"Listen here Gilda." Applejack said with annoyance in her country accent. "Ah don't trust ya one bit. Not after what y'all did the last time y'all was here."

"Well I can't say I blame you for that." Gilda replied. "I wouldn't trust someone that scared my grandma either."

"Well it just so happens Granny Smith is out visitin' her friends." the cowgirl replied. "So y'all ain't gonna scare her today."

"I wasn't planning on it." Gilda said in an earnest tone. "I just got a bit mad that day and blew off some steam with a prank."

"That still doesn't justify ya scaring a mare with a bad hip." Applejack said with a glare. "Why did ya have ta scare her like that?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Gilda whispered. _At least she hasn't slammed the door on me._ Gilda thought. _That's a start._

"Gilda, Ah am the Element of Honesty after all." Applejack replied. "Ah would know if y'all were lying."

_Should I tell her?_ Gilda thought. _It wouldn't be a lie but I don't wanna cause trouble between her and her family. Well Dash _did_ say to be honest so I guess I should tell her._

Gilda told Applejack about how Granny Smith had yelled some very offensive terms at the griffon when she first saw her. Applejack's emerald green eyes widened at the griffon's explanation. She knew that Gilda was being honest but even then she still couldn't believe her ears. She thought that her grandmother was better than that.

"Well Ah can certainly understand why y'all would want ta give her a scare but why did ya have ta steal an apple?" the cowgirl replied after Gilda had finished.

"I didn't steal it." Gilda replied. "Some filly gave me the bits to buy it and I left the bits on the counter after I grabbed the apple."

Applejack could easily tell that Gilda was being honest with her. The truth did hurt a bit but it was still the truth.

"Well, Ah guess Ah believe ya." the cowgirl said. "But Ah've got a lot of work ta do so Ah'd better be off. Dang why did Apple Bloom have ta catch a fever now?"

"A fever?" Gilda asked. "Is she okay?"

"Ah reckon Ah can take care of her." Applejack replied. "Ah just wish Big Macintosh was here ta help with the work but he's out helping a friend."

"Why can't I help you?" the griffon asked.

The cowgirl looked Gilda in the eyes wondering if the griffon's offer was true or not.

"Ah can't ask ya ta do that Gilda." she replied. "Ah gotta take care of this myself."

"Applejack you know that you need help." the griffon insisted. "I don't know how to take care of a sick filly but I can definitely do whatever work you need me to do."

"Y'all would do that for me?" Applejack asked Gilda in a stunned tone.

"That's what friends do." Gilda replied.

Reluctantly, Applejack accepted Gilda's offer and showed the griffon to the farm. She needed Gilda to rake up all the leaves that were scattered all over the place, so that the fields would be neat and clean when Applebucking season came around. A barn also needed to be painted again and there were a couple of other odd jobs that the griffon could easily manage.

"Are ya sure y'all are up to it?" Applejack asked Gilda.

"I got this." Gilda replied confidently. "You take care of your sister."

Applejack nodded and went back to the house to take care of Apple Bloom. Meanwhile Gilda looked out towards the huge fields and sighed.

"Might as well get started." she muttered. "No point just standin' around."

Gilda found a rake inside a barn and got to work cleaning up the fields. She raked all of the leaves into a big pile. It took hours before Gilda finally managed to get all of the leaves into a pile and when she finished, she put the leaves into some bags and tied them up. Applejack said that she would take care of the leaves later. Gilda's muscles were starting to ache a little, but the griffon paid no mind to her minor discomfort.

Next, she grabbed a paint brush as well as a bucket of paint and got to work repainting the barn. This job was much easier for Gilda than raking the leaves was. She held the brush in one claw and the bucket of paint in the other. She dipped the brush in the paint, held it against the side of the barn, and flew upwards. She flew in a slow and steady pace. Normally, Gilda would try to get work done quickly, but she knew that Applejack wouldn't be happy to see a barn painted in a rough uneven way. Painting the barn didn't take nearly as long as raking the leaves did. Within thirty minutes, Gilda had finished and the barn was looking good as new. Gilda put away the paint bucket and washed off the brush. The next thing she did was fix a broken fence. She looked at what remained of the fence and couldn't help but wonder how it got in such a destroyed state.

_Did a manticore go on a rampage or something? _Gilda thought to herself. _With how messed up this fence is, I might as well be building a new one. _Gilda worked on repairing the fence and all the while she amused herself by thinking about the many ways that it could have been destroyed. The ideas ranged from rampaging manticores, to Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush. Gilda then shuddered at the idea of seeing the pink pony on a sugar high. _Pinkie already acts like she's on a sugar rush 24/7. I'd hate to see what would happen if that actually was the case. _the griffon thought.

When she finished repairing the wooden fence, Gilda stood up and stretched. She tried to remember if Applejack had asked her to do anything else but she couldn't think of anything. It was also getting very dark outside now, so Gilda doubted that she'd be able to get much more work done anyway. With a small yawn, Gilda walked over to Applejack's house. She had barely laid down on the floor when she heard Applejack enter the room.

"What did ya tire yourself out Gilda?" the cowgirl asked.

"I was just waiting to ask if you needed me to do anything else." the griffon replied.

"Ya mean ya actually finished all that work?" Applejack couldn't believe it.

"Every last bit of it." Gilda replied proudly. "How's your sister?"

"The fever finally broke." Applejack answered. She was still in shock the Gilda had finished the huge amount of work, but she was definitely pleased. "She'll be fine after some sleep."

"That's great to hear." Gilda replied. "Hey Applejack you mind if I crash here for the night. I'm aching all over."

"Ah suppose y'all can stay for the night." Applejack replied. "Ya did work up a real sweat."

"I just hope Dash doesn't worry about me." Gilda said. "I'm just too tired to fly back up to her place."

"Ah understand." the cowgirl said. "By the way Ah'm sorry Ah didn't trust ya before."

"It's cool." Gilda replied. "I'm just glad you trust me now."

Applejack smiled and walked a bit away from the griffon. Gilda noticed that something was wrong with the way the pony walked. The cowgirl was walking rather stiffly, almost as if her legs had frozen up.

"Um you okay Applejack?" Gilda asked.

"Ah'm all right Gilda." she replied though Gilda could tell she wasn't being completely honest. Not only was the cowgirl not meeting the griffon's eyes when she spoke, but also it looked like she was shivering a bit.

Gilda stood up and walked over to the orange pony. She placed a paw on her and instantly she pulled her paw right back. Applejack wasn't just shivering. She was freezing cold.

"Applejack, you're freezing." Gilda said in a concerned tone. "You need help."

"Ah told ya Ah'm fine." Applejack insisted. Gilda, however, wasn't having any of Applejack's stubbornness.

"No you're not." the griffon replied firmly. "You're cold. Let me get a blanket."

Applejack shook her orange head in defiance, stating that she wasn't cold. Gilda wasn't fooled and she was not going to let her new friend suffer like that. She extended a foreleg and wrapped it around the earth pony. She then walked over to the living room and laid down, pulling Applejack down with her. She held the cowgirl tight to her side and she could feel just how cold Applejack was. Putting aside the discomfort of having a freezing pony lying next to her, Gilda draped her wing over the orange pony like a blanket. The cowgirl tried to insist that she was okay but Gilda refused to listen. Applejack was in too weak of a state to free herself from Gilda, so she had no choice but to let the griffon help her. Soon enough Applejack's body started to warm up and the shivering stopped. Not long after that, both the pony and the griffon fell asleep.

Early in the morning, Gilda awoke to a strange feeling. She opened her eyes and saw a small dog licking her face. Gilda smiled a bit and extended a foreleg out so she could pet the dog. The dog relaxed and sat down next to the griffon. Gilda looked over and saw Applejack sleeping peacefully underneath her wing. The cowgirl had definitely warmed up overnight since she was no longer freezing and shivering. After a moment, Applejack yawned widely and opened her bright green eyes. She looked up at Gilda with a shocked expression on her face.

"Did ya really stay with me the whole night?" she whispered.

Gilda nodded a mute assurance and smiled. The two got up and realized that the sun wasn't even up. It was still late at night or rather early in the morning. Now Gilda had enough energy to fly back to Rainbow Dash's house, but she wanted to be sure that Applejack would be okay.

"You feelin' all right Applejack?" the griffon asked.

"Ah'm fine." the cowgirl replied honestly. She wasn't being stubborn anymore. "Thanks a bunch for all the help Gilda."

Gilda grinned as she replied. "No problem at all."

She then left the house and flew off back to Rainbow Dash's cloud castle. Since it was so early in the morning, Gilda assumed that her best friend must be asleep. However just as she was about to open the door to her own room a voice stopped her.

"Gilda just what the hay took you so long?"

Gilda turned and saw Rainbow Dash standing on her hind legs with her forelegs crossed across her chest and a look of disapproval and annoyance on her face. Knowing that she didn't have any other choice, Gilda told Rainbow Dash the story about how she helped Applejack with her work around the farm. She also told the pegasus about how she kept the cowgirl from freezing.

"If I didn't stay there she'd have turned into a pony-sicle." the griffon finished. She'd hoped that her attempt at a joke would get Rainbow Dash's mood to soften. To her surprise, Rainbow Dash was standing there with a rather mushy expression on her face. The pegasus hugged Gilda and said that she was proud of how she helped Applejack. Gilda grinned and then the two of them headed off towards their own rooms for some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Weights, Dresses, and Pride

**Chapter 3: Weights, Dresses, and Pride**

Gilda woke up the next day feeling better than before. She had been forgiven by Applejack and now she had one more friend. She grinned to herself as she got out of her bed and stretched a bit.

_One down four to go._ She thought to herself. _I know Pinkie's forgiven me since she's my friend. And if Dash is right then getting the others to trust me should be easy. She did say that Applejack was angrier at me than the others._

Rainbow Dash was awake already and this time she did not let Gilda surprise her like she did yesterday. In fact Gilda was the one who was surprised when Rainbow Dash literally tackled her to the ground with a hug. The griffon grinned at her best friend who had a smug expression on her face.

"That's for yesterday G!" Rainbow Dash said in a cocky tone.

Gilda's face wore a look of mischief as she made her next move. Gilda's claws were multipurpose tools. They could be used for fighting, for working, and for other reasons. She placed her claws on Rainbow Dash's sides and began to tickle her. Soon enough the pegasus erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Okay okay, stop please, I give." Rainbow Dash said between laughs. Gilda grinned and complied as Rainbow Dash loosened her grip on the griffon. "You always have a trick under your feathers." Rainbow Dash said in a mocking tone while she wiped the tears of laughter from her pink and purple eyes.

"You know it Dash." Gilda replied confidently. "It's why I always won our bets."

"Oh please." Rainbow Dash argued. "You know I won a bunch of bets too."

The pegasus and the griffon had a very interesting friendship compared to most of the ponies in town. The two of them challenged each other on a very frequent basis. The winner got to put the loser through whatever humiliating punishment she saw fit. The punishments were never something simple like handing over bits or doing chores. No, they always thought outside the box. Because they knew each other so well, they knew exactly what punishments would be the most humiliating for each other.

The duo went into the kitchen and Rainbow Dash made breakfast while Gilda did whatever she could think of to keep herself busy. She didn't like feeling as if she was just mooching off her best friend. After making absolute sure that the table was set and even undoing it just so she could set it again, Gilda sat around waiting. Rainbow Dash would never let Gilda near the stove for even a minute. Soon enough breakfast was ready, and just like the previous day, it was delicious.

"So Dash." Gilda began. "Heard anything from Applejack?"

"Oh yeah she's real impressed with all your hard work." the pegasus replied. "She says that's the fastest anyone has ever cleared the fields. Except for her and Big Mac." she added.

Gilda grinned rather proudly. She may not have had any plans on making a career out of farming, but it was good to know that she had helped her friend.

"You know me Dash." she said. "Whatever I do, I do it awesome."

The duo flew down to the ground and walked together. While most ponies still had the same opinions of Gilda as they did yesterday, there were a few ponies that greeted her cheerfully. Gilda started to smile a bit more. It looked like word was starting to get out and her reputation as a bully was slowly fading away. Soon enough Rainbow Dash nudged Gilda in the side and pointed. Gilda looked and she saw Rarity.

"That's Rarity." Rainbow Dash explained. "She's not as mad as AJ was but still remember what I said."

"I know, I know, don't insult her clothing." Gilda muttered. "Don't worry as long as she doesn't try to make me wear anything frilly I won't say a word."

"Be careful G." Rainbow Dash warned with a mischievous grin. "Maybe she'll make griffon clothing just for you."

The duo walked up to Rarity and greeted her. Gilda tried to apologize for how she had acted last time but Rarity cut her off.

"Don't be silly dear." she said in her normal voice. "I would have felt the same as you. Celestia knows there are days when I'd rather have a pinch of Rainbow Dash's pranks than a spoonful."

"Gee thanks Rarity." Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"Anyway you absolutely must see some of my new designs." Rarity said in a more excited voice. "I've been working on griffon clothes for months and your colors would look beautiful in a few of my newer dresses."

Gilda fought the urge to gag and glanced at her best friend. Rainbow Dash's face was a mixture of emotions. She looked like she was saying something along the lines of "I told you so." as well as trying to warn Gilda not to be too harsh on the fashionista unicorn. Gilda tried to choose her words carefully before she spoke. She didn't want to hurt Rarity's feelings, but at the same time she did not want to model any clothing.

"Thanks for the offer Rarity but uh fashion's not really my thing." Gilda said.

"But you'll look absolutely wonderful." Rarity exclaimed. "I've designed formalwear and accessories and even a wedding dress. You simply _must_ model for me."

_Dang she doesn't give up easily._ Gilda thought._ How am I gonna let her down gently?_

"Listen Rarity." she began with a grin. "There's only one outfit that I would ever wanna model and that's a Wonderbolts uniform."

Gilda could have sworn that she heard Rarity mutter something along the lines of "Not another Rainbow Dash." before the unicorn answered her.

"Well then there is only one thing to do." Rarity drew herself up and spoke in a loud clear voice. "I challenge you to a bet."

Anypony within earshot of this announcement immediately stopped in their tracks. Rainbow Dash was wide-eyed as she watched the situation unfold before her eyes. Gilda was shocked by the challenge but she recovered herself.

"Really and what would the bet be?" Gilda asked with a bit of a smirk. "I don't think I'd have much chance beating you at sewing."

Rarity looked a little offended but she continued as if she hadn't heard Gilda's somewhat rude response.

"Please I would never challenge anyone to something they couldn't possibly have a chance at winning. I would never stoop so low." She paused and a thoughtful look was worn on her face as more ponies, including Rainbow Dash's other friends, joined the crowd. "I think a test of endurance is in order."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." Gilda said. "You couldn't beat me."

"Are you prepared to place a wager on that Miss Gilda?" Rarity replied.

"Name the challenge." Gilda said confidently. "Oh and just call me Gilda not _Miss_ Gilda."

Rarity noticed Applejack in the crowd and beckoned the cowgirl to come closer. She whispered something into the orange pony's ear and Applejack nodded in assurance. She walked off and in ten minutes she came back along with Big Macintosh and they were carrying four wooden buckets and a large pile of bricks on a wagon. Their burden was set down in between the griffon and the unicorn. Rarity then started to speak up again.

"The bet is simple." she began. "We both shall have two buckets which shall be filled with bricks. Whoever drops their buckets first loses. Do you accept?"

Gilda grinned at her and then at Rainbow Dash.

"Dash." she began. "Tell me she's messing with me. She can't _really_ think she'll win right?"

"I don't know G." Rainbow Dash replied. "She thinks she can win and she's no pushover. You should see her when a store has a sale."

Gilda looked back at Rarity, who's gaze never wavered from the griffon.

"Okay." Gilda said. "Let's say I decide to humiliate you. What would be in it for me if I won?"

"That's for you to decide Gilda." Rarity replied. "However if _I_ win then _you_ have to model _my_ dresses for as long as I see fit."

Gilda closed her eyes and put a claw under her chin, trying to think of a punishment that would be just as humiliating. She opened her golden yellow eyes and glanced at Rarity's purple mane, which she had obviously spent a lot of time grooming. A small smile grew on Gilda's face as she looked at the other five ponies. _Which one should be Rarity's new style? Fluttershy? Nah not good enough. AJ? Nah that's not humiliating enough for her either._ She glanced at her closest friends, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Then her small smile grew into a very mischievous grin.

"All right then Rarity I accept." Gilda began. In a smug tone she continued. "But if I win then you have to get your mane cut like Pinkie's."

Rarity let out a dramatic gasp at this statement as Gilda grinned. She had definitely struck gold on that one. The griffon was debating about making Rarity have Rainbow Dash's style instead, but she decided that having Pinkie Pie's manecut would be much more humiliating. She grinned at Rarity who was definitely irritated at this bet. In a clear voice she responded.

"I accept your challenge Gilda."

Everypony in the crowd let out a shocked gasp. They were very eager to see how this would go. They cleared a small circle around Rarity and Gilda so that the challenge could begin. Both the griffon and the unicorn stood on their hind legs and had their forelegs stretched out. Applejack and Big Macintosh placed the two wooden buckets on Rarity's forelegs while Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle did the same for Gilda. Then they separated the bricks into two even piles. They placed five bricks in each of the four buckets and the challenge began.

The challenge was for every minute that passed, one brick would be added to each bucket. Every brick weighed a pound, so at the start Rarity and Gilda were holding five pounds of bricks in each bucket. Big Macintosh and Applejack would fill up Rarity's buckets while Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle would do the same for Gilda. Five minutes went by, and neither of the two were showing any signs of giving up.

Gilda grinned at Rarity as she spoke. "Ready to lose Rarity?" she asked. "I always give a hundred and ten percent in every challenge I accept."

"I shall not be the one who loses Gilda and I shall definitely not be holding back either." Rarity replied.

The minutes dragged on and the buckets were slowly getting heavier. They went from ten bricks per bucket to fifteen and then to twenty. Still Rarity and Gilda were showing no signs of struggling. The ponies were watching this show in awe. It might not have been the most exciting thing to watch but there was definitely and air of tension between the griffon and the unicorn. Rarity and Gilda however, ignored everypony that was watching them. Their gazes never wavered from each other's eyes. Both of them were determined to win.

Time went by and more bricks were added. Soon enough Rainbow Dash had reached down to put another brick into Gilda's bucket only to find that they had run out. Gilda and Rarity were now holding all the bricks that Big Macintosh and Applejack had brought with them. They had thirty pounds of bricks in each of the buckets that they were holding. Still there was no sign of the challenge ending anytime soon. Ten minutes went by and still neither of them were struggling.

Gilda had been looking Rarity straight in the eyes throughout this challenge, but she also noticed the ponies that were surrounding them. _Don't any of these ponies have jobs to do? _she wondered. _I can't wait to see Rarity with Pinkie's mane style. _Gilda was tempted to close her eyes and try to visualize the image in her head but she resisted. She kept her eyes open so that when Rarity dropped her burden Gilda would see it herself.

It had been nearly an hour since the challenge first began and finally the griffon and the unicorn were starting to feel the burden of the weight they were holding. Rarity's forelegs started quivering, while Gilda's hind legs were shaking. The crowd was watching in anticipation. Soon enough one of them would drop and the challenge would be over. Yet despite their struggles, Gilda and Rarity hung in there. More time went by and their muscles started to quiver even more violently, but still both of them refused to give up.

_Dang. Rarity really isn't a pushover. _Gilda thought. _I thought that this challenge would have been over a while ago._

_Hmph. This ruffian can certainly hold her own. _Rarity thought. _But she shall not get the best of me._

The duo stared into each other's eyes wondering when they would lose their strength. Both were surprised at how their opponent had managed to last so long holding such tremendous weight. Holding such a burden for such a long time was definitely no easy feat for either of them. They just kept watching each other.

_Any minute now and she'll drop her weight. _Gilda and Rarity both thought. _She can't last much longer. Can she?_

Both the griffon and the unicorn were trembling. Rarity didn't normally push herself so hard and Gilda definitely didn't think that Rarity would last this long against her.

_Come on. _Gilda thought. _She can't hold those bricks forever. She's gotta let go soon._

_She must be close to losing now. _Rarity thought. _I only need to last a little bit longer._

Neither of them wanted to lose. Rarity would not want to be stuck having Pinkie Pie's mane style and Gilda hated the idea of modeling Rarity's frilly dresses. Both of them dug deep inside of them to find whatever strength they had left and pushed themselves to stay standing. While Rarity's upper body strength paled in comparison to Gilda's, the griffon didn't have the best lower body strength ever.

Then at that moment a resounding crash was heard. It was immediately followed by another, equally loud crash. Both Rarity and Gilda had dropped their buckets and were on all fours breathing heavily.

Immediately a babble broke out. Many ponies were arguing over which of them had won. The arguments were fierce and determined. Half the ponies there thought that Rarity won but the other half of them thought that Gilda won. They knew that there was a winner, since one crash had happened before the other, but who dropped their buckets first?

They looked towards Fluttershy who had reluctantly agreed to judge the challenge. She nervously opened her mouth and made the announcement.

"Um the winner is Rarity." she said timidly.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash said in amazement while the crowd cheered for Rarity. The pegasus couldn't believe that Gilda had lost.

Gilda meanwhile was shaking her head. She knew that she had lost and that she was going to have to model Rarity's dresses.

"Can't believe I'd get beat." she muttered. She straightened herself up and approached Rarity. The unicorn was just as stunned that she had beaten the griffon. Gilda stood in front of Rarity and offered an outstretched foreleg to her.

"Ya beat me Rarity." she said. "Congrats."

Rarity accepted Gilda's offer and the two shook.

"You were impressive yourself Gilda. I really thought you would have beaten me." she replied.

"Yeah that makes two of us." Gilda muttered. "So when do you want me to drop by?"

"Drop by?" Rarity asked in a confused tone."Oh you mean the modeling?"

Gilda nodded silently. She was _not_ looking forward to her punishment, but she was going to face it like any proud griffon would.

"Well you can stop by tomorrow if you'd like." Rarity told Gilda where to find her and Gilda silently nodded.

"Good thing it's not today." she muttered as her stomach growled with hunger. "Well I need to eat. Hope I don't pass out on the way there."

Gilda flew off towards the nearest restaurant and ordered just a simple plate of hay fries. Then afterwards when it was starting to get dark out, she went back to Rainbow Dash's house and she fell asleep as soon as she laid down on her bed. Rainbow Dash walked into the house an hour later and noticed Gilda lying on her bed without her blanket. The pegasus grinned to herself as she dragged the blanket out from underneath Gilda and laid it down over her. Gilda didn't even notice, she was out like a light.

The next day, Gilda woke up feeling nothing but dread. She was not looking forwards to what the day had in store for her. Gilda walked into the kitchen, expecting to see a gloating Rainbow Dash, but to her surprise the room was empty. She walked up to the table, which had a plate of breakfast on it with a note nearby. Gilda picked up the note and read it quickly.

_Dear Gilda,_

_I'm at work now so I won't be able to see your humiliation. I hope Rarity takes plenty of pictures like I asked._

_Rainbow Dash_

Gilda scoffed at the note and placed it back down on the table. She ate the breakfast that was left for her and to her surprise it was still warm. After she finished her meal, she walked out of the house and flew down towards the ground. She tried not to attract any attention. The fewer ponies that saw her, the fewer that could follow her to Rarity's place. She saw the boutique and, after taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

Immediately the door was opened. Rarity stood in the entranceway and she invited Gilda in eagerly.

"How are you Gilda?" she asked politely. "I hope your muscles aren't too sore?"

"My muscles are fine." Gilda replied. "It's my pride I'm worried about."

"Oh don't be so negative." Rarity said to her. "I don't have that many outfits for you to model."

"Really?" Gilda asked in a hopeful tone. Maybe this won't be so bad.

"Oh yes." the unicorn answered. "All I have are three dresses."

"Only three?" Gilda answered. "Phew this shouldn't take any time at all."

Rarity wasn't lying when she said she had only made three dresses. What she had failed to mention however, was the staggering amount of accessories that she had designed to go along with the dresses. There were huge piles of hats, gloves, scarves, and who knew what else. Each dress had ten or twenty different combinations of accessories to go with it, and of course Rarity insisted that Gilda should model each and every combination. Gilda was silently thankful that the boutique wasn't very busy during this time of day.

"I am rather amazed that you showed up at all Gilda." Rarity admitted when they were about halfway through the modeling. "I would have assumed that you wouldn't want to do something so damaging to your pride."

Gilda stiffened at Rarity's seemingly offhanded remark. _Don't lose your cool._ she thought to herself. _Dash forgave you once she might not forgive you if you go berserk again._

Even though the griffon remained silent, Rarity realized that she had definitely said something offensive to the griffon.

"I'm sorry Gilda." she said. "I didn't mean to offend you by that."

"No it's cool." the griffon replied. "You just don't know what pride is to a griffon that's all."

"And what pray tell, is _that_ supposed to mean?" Rarity asked.

"Well." Gilda began. "What would you think of me if I didn't show up for my punishment like we agreed?" She glanced at Rarity and spoke again. "Tell the truth."

"Well." Rarity started. "I would have thought of you as an uncivilized ruffian who couldn't accept when she had been beaten."

"In other words, a coward?" Gilda asked.

"Well yes." Rarity answered,

"There you have it." Gilda replied.

"I'm sorry I don't understand what you mean." Rarity said in a confused tone.

"If I didn't show up you'd think I was a coward." Gilda said. "Well that would be the absolute worst thing for a griffon like me." She looked Rarity in the eyes as she continued. "Believe me, being seen as a coward is much worse for my pride than any punishment that you could think of."

"Oh so cowardice is the most damaging thing a griffon's pride?" Rarity said in an amazed tone.

"You got it." Gilda replied.

Gilda modeled the rest of Rarity's designs in silence while the unicorn pondered what she had said. Gilda's statement was an enlightening thought to the white unicorn and it certainly changed her opinions about the griffon. Rarity now realized that Gilda wasn't the rude, uncivilized brute that the unicorn had thought she was a year ago. Finally they were finished with the modeling and Gilda was eager to get out of the boutique and do some flying, since she hadn't done that in a while.

"By the way Gilda." Rarity began. "Could you perhaps persuade Rainbow Dash that she needs a more civilized style for her mane?"

Gilda laughed a bit before she answered the unicorn's question with her usual smirk.

"Sorry Rarity no chance." she said. "Dash would never go for it. Her style is just her style. Besides it'd be pointless for her to have her mane styled like yours."

"And what do you mean by that?" Rarity asked in an angry tone.

"Well." Gilda said in a mischievous tone. "You know how Dash is always flying around and doing stunts right?" Rarity nodded in response. "Imagine what _your _mane would look like after doing that all day."

Rarity closed her eyes and tried to visualize what Gilda had described. When she opened her eyes again she had a horrified look on her face.

"Yeah." Gilda said, as if she had seen what Rarity had imagined. "Not pretty is it?" The unicorn shook her head in response. Gilda was right. Rarity's mane would not look good after a day of Rainbow Dash's stunts.

The griffon was about to leave when Rarity spoke up.

"Gilda." she said.

"Hmm?" was the response.

"Thanks for modeling my outfits for me." the unicorn said.

"Don't get used to it Rarity." the griffon replied. "That's not gonna happen again."

"Unless you lose another bet." Rarity said smugly.

"Are you challenging me again?" Gilda asked in a competitive sort of tone.

"Not yet." Rarity replied. "But maybe when I make my fall line up I might require your assistance."

"Good luck with that." Gilda said confidently. "I underestimated you this time. I won't make that mistake again."

Gilda left the boutique and flew off into the pale blue sky. Rarity gazed at the spot where the griffon once stood and sighed.

"My worst fears are realized." she muttered while shaking her head. "She is another Rainbow Dash."


	4. Chapter 4: Manticores and Pony Roars

**Chapter 4: Manticores and Pony Roars**

Gilda woke up the next day feeling even happier than before. Not only has Applejack forgiven her, but now she and Rarity were finally on good terms. While the modeling had been rather humiliating for the griffon, Gilda could rest assured that Rarity was not going to be giving out the pictures that she took during the process. Gilda grinned as she remembered what the unicorn had said to her.

"Don't worry Gilda nopony will see these pictures but me." Rarity assured her.

"Bet ya Dash will have something to say about that." the griffon had replied.

"Oh I did promise Rainbow Dash that I would take plenty of pictures." Rarity admitted. "But I never said that I would let her see them after all."

This statement caused the griffon to smile. She knew that Rarity was being fully honest with her. The griffon stood up, got out of her bed, and walked into the kitchen. Rainbow Dash was nowhere in sight and Gilda had a small smile on her face. She closed her eyes and waited a moment before turning and sticking out her forelegs. She reached out and grabbed Rainbow Dash in mid-tackle and stared at the pony's expression of wide-eyed disbelief. Gilda laughed a bit before she spoke to her stunned best friend.

"You can't pull the same trick on me twice in a row Dash." she teased. "You know me better than to think that it would work again." She put Rainbow Dash down and pulled her into an embrace which the pegasus eagerly returned. Gilda knew that Rainbow Dash was trying to catch the griffon off guard like she did the other day but Gilda was prepared for her this time.

"One day G, one day." Rainbow Dash muttered but the smile on her face gave away her attempt at being annoyed. The pegasus got to work making breakfast while Gilda did whatever she could to feel like she was being useful in some way. The duo sat down and ate the breakfast that the pegasus had provided. Rainbow Dash might not have been one of Equestria's finest chefs, but everything that she could cook was always delicious.

"So G." Rainbow Dash began. "Got any plans for today?"

Gilda shook her head. "Nah." she said with a grin. "I'll just wing it like I usually do."

"Well good luck." the pegasus replied.

The two friends got up and left Rainbow Dash's house behind. Rainbow Dash headed off to work while Gilda just strolled around Ponyville. She smiled and nodded at the few ponies that greeted her cheerfully. Some of them had even complimented her on how well she had performed during Rarity's bet the other day. Gilda's smile grew just a little bit. Little by little, she was convincing Ponyville that she wasn't as bad as the residents thought she was. Soon enough they would forget about her old reputation as a bully completely. Gilda wandered through town when a pony ran into her and nearly knocked her over.

If this had been the Gilda who visited Ponyville a year ago, then she might have lost her cool. Instead she just looked at the pony that had rammed her and saw that it was none other than Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus squealed when she realized that she had bumped into Gilda and hastily tried to apologize.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry." she stammered. Fluttershy kept trying to apologize but Gilda smiled.

"Relax Fluttershy." the griffon replied. "It's cool. You didn't hurt me or anything."

She was about to go on her way when she noticed that Fluttershy had a very worried expression on her face.

"Come on Fluttershy lighten up." Gilda said. "You didn't hurt me." Gilda grinned at the yellow pony who still had that worried expression on her face. Gilda grew concerned for the pink maned mare. "Something wrong Fluttershy?" she asked with a bit of concern in her voice.

"No no no." Fluttershy replied. "Don't worry Gilda I just need to get going. Oh what am I going to do?" Fluttershy was frantic as she tried to run off but Gilda blocked her. The griffon placed a reassuring foreleg on Fluttershy's shoulder and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Whoa Fluttershy take it easy." she said. "Just calm down and tell me what's wrong."

Fluttershy took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "It's Angel." she said. "I was walking with Angel and then Pinkie Pie set off one of her party cannons and now Angel's gone missing." Fluttershy was definitely worried for her rabbit friend.

"Don't worry Fluttershy don't worry." Gilda said. "I'll help you find Angel. Now which way did she go?"

"Umm Gilda." Fluttershy nervously began. "Angel's a boy."

Gilda grinned at the pony. "All right then." she said. "Which way did _he_ go?"

Fluttershy pointed in the direction of a forest. It wasn't Everfree Forest but it was still a forest and a large one at that. Gilda could definitely understand why the pegasus was so worried about Angel. The rabbit could easily get lost in there. However Gilda grinned at Fluttershy.

"No problem." she said. "Follow me."

She took to the skies and soared over to the forest with Fluttershy behind her. Gilda stayed above the trees and searched the ground with her eyes. Being half eagle definitely came in handy whenever the griffon needed to find something in a place as big as this forest.

"Umm Gilda." Fluttershy began timidly. "Wouldn't it be easier to look for Angel on the ground?"

Gilda smiled at the pony that was flying next to her as she spoke.

"Fluttershy have you ever heard the term 'Bird of Prey' before?" she asked.

"I think so." the pegasus responded nervously.

"Well I'm half eagle." Gilda explained. "And because of that it'd be easier for me to find Angel in a forest if I look from the sky." Gilda saw Fluttershy's scared expression and knew that she needed to reassure the pegasus of her intentions. "Don't worry." she said in the most soothing tone she had. "I won't hurt Angel. I wouldn't want to hurt your friends."

Fluttershy seemed to believe that but she still had her doubts about Gilda's plan.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Gilda?" she asked. "This is a big forest. Angel could be anywhere and-"

The rest of Fluttershy's statement was cut off as a confident grin grew on Gilda's face.

"Found him." she triumphantly declared. She flew down towards the forest with Fluttershy behind her. The duo landed and Gilda walked over towards a tree where Angel was clinging to a branch in fear. Fluttershy followed her and tried to get Angel to come down but the rabbit wouldn't listen.

"I think he's scared." Fluttershy whispered. "You did say you weren't going to hurt him right Gilda?"

"Yeah but maybe he'd relax if I were somewhere else." the griffon replied. She noticed a stream and pointed it out to Fluttershy. "I'll be over there. Let me know if you need me."

Gilda walked over towards the stream and sat down looking into the water. While she was honest with Fluttershy when she said that she didn't want to hurt Angel, she knew why the rabbit was scared of her. Part of Gilda's eagle instincts meant that small animals like rabbits would naturally be scared of her. The griffon stared into the stream while she waited for Fluttershy to take care of Angel. Gilda noticed that there were quite a few salmon swimming around and she wondered if it would be worth grabbing one as an early lunch.

_Should I risk it?_ she wondered. _Fluttershy is an animal lover but this is a forest not her house. Well if I'm gonna grab a fish I'd better make it quick._

The griffon looked at one of the salmon swimming around and she raised one of her claws. She was just about to make a grab for the salmon when she heard a terrified scream behind her. Gilda turned quickly and what she saw shocked her. A manticore was leering towards Fluttershy, who stood helpless along with Angel. Making up her mind in an instant, Gilda stood up on her hind legs and cupped her claws around her beak.

"Hey furball!" she yelled. "Leave 'em alone will ya?"

The manticore turned and glared at the griffon. Gilda could see the hunger in its angry eyes. She gazed at the manticore as it bared its teeth in an attempt to scare her off. Despite the manticore's intimidating nature, Gilda stood her ground. _This overgrown beast isn't making a meal out of my friends._ Gilda thought determinedly. _Not while I'm around._

"If you're so hungry." she taunted. "Why don't you skip the appetizer and go straight for the main course?"

The manticore glanced back at the terrified pony and rabbit and made up its mind. It charged straight for Gilda who had already prepared herself. The manticore raised one of its paws and was about to slash at Gilda, but the griffon ducked underneath it and then she jumped up and kicked it right in the rear with her hind legs.

The manticore roared in pain and tried to lunge at the griffon. Gilda easily dodged its attacks and countered with her own. Fluttershy could only watch the griffon's performance with a mixture of shock and awe on her face. She wished that she could be as fearless as Gilda. Gilda gave the manticore a powerful punch to the gut which sent it backwards. The beast breathed heavily and glared at the griffon while Gilda glared right back.

"Had enough?" she taunted. "Or are you hungry for a second helping?"

The manticore growled and lunged at Gilda who ducked underneath it and then she did something incredible. She placed her forelegs underneath the manticore's torso and lifted the beast right off its paws. Then she hurled him away and watched it struggle to get back up. When it finally got itself back up, it decided to run away deeper into the forest. Gilda smirked as she watched the manticore run away. Then she stood up on her hind legs and let out a thunderous roar of pride. When Gilda settled herself down, she approached Fluttershy with a concerned look on her face.

"You okay Fluttershy?" she asked in a small voice.

Fluttershy nodded and then out of nowhere she hugged Gilda.

"Thank you." she whispered as she held the griffon in her forelegs.

"No problem." the griffon replied as she returned Fluttershy's hug.

"I wish I was as brave as you Gilda." the yellow pony whispered. "I'm always scared of everything."

"It's okay Fluttershy." Gilda said. "That manticore was huge. It's okay to be scared of it."

The two of them let go of each other and walked towards the edge of the forest with Angel sitting on Fluttershy's back.

"I just wish I could be more like you." the pegasus muttered sadly.

"Maybe I could try to help you?" Gilda offered.

"Really?" Fluttershy asked. "You would help me?"

"Of course." Gilda replied honestly. "That's what friends do."

Gilda and Fluttershy stopped walking abruptly. They faced each other and Gilda asked Fluttershy if she wanted Gilda to start helping her now. The pegasus accepted and then the two of them stood facing each other a good ten feet apart.

"Okay." Gilda began. "Roar at me."

"What?" Fluttershy asked.

"You heard me." the griffon responded. "Give me your best roar."

Fluttershy gave it her best efforts but her roar was weak and almost silent. Gilda shook her white feathered head,

"Come on Fluttershy." she urged. "Dig deep. That roar is in you. Find it and let it out."

Fluttershy concentrated and roared again. It wasn't as loud as Gilda's but it was definitely audible.

"Keep it up." Gilda encouraged her. "Dig real deep. You can do this."

Fluttershy closed her eyes, prepared herself, and when she opened her eyes, Gilda could see the change. Gone was the pony's usually timid expression. Now Fluttershy's face wore a look of fierce determination. She let out a roar and Gilda was definitely impressed. Fluttershy was no griffon, but her roar was almost as loud as Gilda's roar had been. When she realized what she had done, Fluttershy blushed with a rather embarrassed look on her face.

"Did I do it wrong." she asked.

"Fluttershy." Gilda began. "That. was. AWESOME!"

"Really?" she asked. She couldn't believe it.

"Yeah." Gilda answered with a grin. "That's just what I was telling you to do."

"Wow thanks Gilda." Fluttershy whispered.

Gilda grinned as she answered. "No problem Fluttershy." she paused and then her grin turned from pride to mischief. "That manticore better not come back or you'll send him running back to his mommy."

Fluttershy looked a bit scared but when she realized that Gilda was making a joke she laughed. It helped that Gilda was laughing with her. The pegasus and the griffon walked side by side until they were out of the forest. They laughed and talked all the way back to Fluttershy's cottage. Fluttershy thanked Gilda for all her help and then the griffon left for home. Some ponies had seen her walking with Fluttershy and they smiled at her. Gilda's reputation was definitely getting better. She walked back into Rainbow Dash's cloud castle and saw her best friend waiting for her.

"Jeez Gilda were you trying to scare everypony in town with those roars?" she asked.

"That first roar was me." Gilda admitted. "But the second one was someone else."

"Oh really?" Rainbow Dash asked skeptically. "Like who?"

"Fluttershy." Gilda answered.

"_Fluttershy_?" Rainbow Dash asked in an even more disbelieving tone. "No way."

"Yep." Gilda responded. "She's almost as good as me."

Rainbow Dash grinned at her best friend. Gilda told her the whole story with extra emphasis on her fight with the manticore as well as how impressive Fluttershy's roar was. The pegasus couldn't believe her ears yet she knew that Gilda was being honest. Rainbow Dash knew that Gilda would have no trouble making friends with Twilight Sparkle and Spike now that she had helped Fluttershy. The duo ate dinner and went to bed both grinning broadly.


	5. Chapter 5: Dating Advice

**Chapter 5: Dating Advice**

Gilda woke up the next day feeling ecstatic. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were now friends with her. She only had to earn the trust and friendship of Twilight Sparkle and Spike. In a way the situation was almost funny to her. When she originally came back to Ponyville, she only wanted Rainbow Dash's friendship. At first she couldn't care less about what the other ponies thought about her. But now that she was getting to know Rainbow Dash's friends, she was really starting to like them. Gilda got up, stretched, and thought about who she'd try to befriend today. The griffon eventually decided to just let things play out and just wing it. It really didn't matter if she befriended Twilight Sparkle or Spike first as long as she got both of them to forgive her.

The griffon stepped out of her room and walked into the main part of the house. She kept her eyes peeled for her best friend Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was determined to tackle Gilda to the ground one day and the griffon knew that she wouldn't give up easily. Soon enough Gilda heard Rainbow Dash's wings flapping lightly. The griffon had only a few seconds to prepare herself before the pegasus tackled her. Gilda grabbed Rainbow Dash and held her. They wrestled with each other for a minute until Gilda finally pinned Rainbow Dash down. The griffon grinned at the pegasus as she sighed in defeat.

"Nice try Dash." Gilda said in a cocky tone. "But not good enough."

"Just wait G." Rainbow Dash replied. "One of these days I'll win."

"Maybe." Gilda said. "But today is not that day."

The duo got up and hugged each other before they made their way into the kitchen. Rainbow Dash had finally trusted Gilda enough to use the stove and the griffon cooked the hay fries. While they were a bit more cooked than she had intended, they were still edible.

"Wow G." Rainbow Dash said in mock surprise. "You actually didn't burn down the house."

"You mean like you nearly did when you tried to make me breakfast in bed back in Flight School?" Gilda shot back. "And you wondered why we weren't allowed in the kitchens."

Rainbow Dash got up from the table and while Gilda was busy eating, she grabbed a towel and rat tailed the griffon with it. Gilda let out a loud yelp of pain, glared at the laughing pegasus, and immediately grabbed another towel and struck back. Rainbow Dash let out her own yelp of pain and then the two of them got into a playful and painful fight. The 'fight' lasted about ten minutes before they finally called an end to it. Both of them had stuff to do and they were also starting to actually hurt each other with the towels. They washed their dishes and walked out of the house. Rainbow Dash went off to go to work while Gilda once again strolled through town.

Quite a number of the ponies in town greeted Gilda cheerfully. They were definitely starting to trust her a lot more. Gilda was definitely getting friendlier with the townsponies as time went by. There were still a few ponies here and there that didn't trust her but Gilda knew that they would change their minds soon enough. She wandered through town, checking out the local restaurants and stores in order to pass the time. She stopped by SugarCube Corner and saw Pinkie Pie. After a very enthusiastic greeting, the pink pony treated Gilda to a very delicious cupcake. Pinkie Pie insisted that she and Gilda would soon be BPGFFs. What that meant, Gilda had no idea. She merely went along with it and talked with Pinkie Pie. The party pony wanted to pull some pranks with the griffon but she realized that she still had work to do. Gilda assured Pinkie Pie that one day they would pull some pranks together but said that she had some stuff to do. After being given a bone crushing hug by Pinkie Pie, Gilda left the cake shop and continued her walk. As she walked, Gilda saw Spike staring at the front door of Carousel Boutique looking tense.

"Hey Spike." Gilda greeted the young dragon. "What's up?"

"Oh hey Gilda." Spike answered. He stared back at Carousel Boutique with the same expression on his face. Gilda was very concerned for the dragon and decided to speak up.

"Something wrong Spike?" she asked in a curious tone.

"I don't want to talk about it." he replied. "You'll laugh at me."

Gilda grinned at him as she responded. "Come on Spike." she said. "I won't laugh at you."

Spike took a deep breath and looked down at the ground as he answered.

"I'm trying to figure out how to impress Rarity." he muttered.

Gilda grinned at him. The dragon was just trying to impress a girl.

"I knew you'd laugh." Spike muttered in an embarrassed tone.

"I'm not laughing." Gilda said. "I'm gonna help you."

Spike's head instantly perked up at Gilda's offer. The two of them walked away from the boutique, and into a small clearing in the forest where Gilda had fought the manticore the day before. Gilda had explained along the way that she wanted to bring Spike somewhere private so that they wouldn't get interrupted.

"So what are you gonna do to help me?" he asked.

"Well first thing's first." Gilda began. "I wanna see how you would ask out Rarity."

"Then why are we here?" Spike asked in a confused tone. "Rarity's not here with us."

"I know that." Gilda replied. "You're gonna practice on me."

"But you're nothing like Rarity." Spike exclaimed.

Gilda barely resisted smacking herself in the face with her claw out of frustration. Spike definitely wasn't a genius.

"Yeah that's why you gotta pretend." Gilda replied. "Just try to imagine me as Rarity."

Spike shut his eyes tightly and tried his hardest to imagine Rarity. When he opened his eyes he no longer saw Gilda the griffon standing in front of him but instead he saw the beautiful unicorn Rarity. Instantly his eyes turned into hearts and he started shuffling his feet and twisting his hands together.

"Umm Rarity." he began in a small, barely audible voice. It didn't help that he was looking down at the ground as he spoke. "I was umm wondering if you'd well like to go out umm with me."

"Okay stop right there." Gilda said in a harsh voice.

Spike's vision of Rarity instantly faded away and instead he saw Gilda standing in front of him looking annoyed.

"You'll never have a chance with her if you act like that." she said. "The most you'll get is a pity date and that is _not_ something you want."

"Gee way to put it lightly." Spike said sarcastically.

"Lighten up." Gilda told him. "I'm not done yet."

"Then what do you want me to do?" Spike asked in an impatient tone.

"Well first thing's first." Gilda began. "You're going to stand up straight and look me in the eyes." Spike did as he was told as the griffon continued. "Next thing is you're gonna stop saying 'umm' and 'well' every few words. You're gonna speak loud and clear. You're not gonna shuffle your feet and unless you're gonna give Rarity a gift, your hands stay at your sides. Got it?"

"I think so." Spike muttered quietly.

"What did you say?" Gilda asked. "Speak up."

"I got it." Spike said in a clear voice.

"Good." Gilda replied. "Now try it again."

Spike closed his eyes until Rarity's beauty filled his mind. He opened his eyes again and just like before, Rarity was standing in front of him. He felt his feelings wash over him but this time, he made more of an effort to control himself.

"Hey Rarity." he began in a louder voice. He looked Gilda in the eyes as he spoke. "Do you want to go on a date with me?"

Gilda barely kept herself from grinning. _The kid learned faster than I thought he would._ the griffon thought to herself. _He might just have a chance with her._

"That would be very lovely Spikey Wikey." Gilda said in her best impression of Rarity. She tried not to gag at using that pet name with Spike. The griffon definitely wasn't interested in romance and she hated all the mushy love talk and pet names that she heard whenever other ponies or griffons went on dates.

Spike grinned at the response but his facial expression changed as Gilda spoke up again, but this time in her normal voice.

"Good work." she said. "So where are you gonna take her?"

"Ummm. I don't know." Spike admitted.

"Well you gotta think about that." Gilda told him firmly. "What's Rarity like?" she asked.

"Oh she's amazing." Spike said breathlessly. "She's generous and beautiful. Her eyes are like sapphires and her mane is so pretty and-"

Gilda cut him off abruptly as he spoke.

"Listen Spike." she said seriously. "If you're gonna spit that mushy droll at me, at least let me get a bucket to hurl in first."

Spike glared at Gilda as he responded.

"Well you said to tell you what she's like." he said defensively.

"What I meant." the griffon replied. "Was to tell me things about her. What does she do for a job? What is she interested in? Likes? Dislikes? Stuff like that. I didn't want to hear a bunch of mopey dopey love talk."

"Well." Spike began. "She owns the Carousel Boutique in town. She likes fashion, health and beauty, and high class restaurants. She hates getting dirty and she pays a lot of attention to detail."

"Hmm." Gilda said thoughtfully. "So she's a mare with more refined tastes. Am I right?"

"Pretty much." Spike replied. "So where should I take her?"

"I'd say go with a really fancy restaurant." Gilda answered after a minute's consideration. "She'll probably like it."

"But I don't have the bits for that!" Spike yelled. "Have you ever tried to get a reservation at a place like that? It's not cheap."

"I know that." Gilda replied. "You gotta save up your bits so that you'll be ready. You don't have to ask her out right away."

Spike nodded in assurance. "Maybe Applejack can use some help around the farm." he said.

"That's the spirit." the griffon told him. "But if you're gonna work there make sure you bathe. No girl would date a smelly dragon that's for sure."

The two of them walked out of the forest and back into Ponyville. Spike's mood had definitely taken an upturn. He might not have had Rarity as his special somepony yet, but that would change soon. Spike then looked at Gilda with a curious expression on his face.

"Hey Gilda." he began. "You said that I should keep my hands at my sides unless I'm giving Rarity a gift right?"

Gilda nodded in response.

"Should I bring her something when I ask her out?" the drake asked her.

'Couldn't hurt." the griffon replied. "Try some flowers maybe."

"Which ones?" the dragon asked eagerly.

"Which kinds do most guys usually get?" Gilda asked him.

"I think roses, tulips, or daises." the dragon replied.

"Well guess which three flowers you're _not_ going to give her." the griffon asked him.

"Roses, tulips and daises?" Spike guessed.

"Yep." Gilda replied. "You gotta think outside the box Spike. Go for something exotic."

"Like what?" Spike wanted to know.

"How should I know?" Gilda exclaimed. "I'm not a florist."

Spike mulled over Gilda's suggestions and decided that he'd just ask a real florist for help when the time came.

"Thanks for your help Gilda." he said.

"No problem Spike." Gilda replied. "That's what friends do."

Spike walked back to Twilight Sparkle's castle and Gilda flew back to Rainbow Dash's cloud castle. Rainbow Dash was waiting for her. Apparently, she had heard about Gilda trying to help Spike and the pegasus had a rather mushy expression on her face.

"Well well well, if it isn't Ponyville's love advisor." she joked.

Gilda glanced at Rainbow Dash who's mushy expression had turned into a cocky grin.

"What do you mean by that Dash?" she asked.

"I never knew you were such a matchmaker G." she replied.

"Shut up." the griffon muttered. She flew towards Rainbow Dash and held her in a bone crushing hug. The pegasus eagerly returned her embrace and tried to make her hug as strong as Gilda's but with little success.

"You know what this means right?" she asked.

Gilda gave Rainbow Dash a questioning look as the pegasus continued.

"Four down, one to go." the pegasus said.

"Oh yeah." Gilda replied. "Twilight's the only one left right?"

"Yep." was the response. "Keep it up G."

The duo let go of each other and then spent the next few hours flying around the skies of Ponyville. Gilda spotted a new building that had just opened up and the duo decided to go check it out. It was a cross between a gym and a training room for wrestlers. There were weights and exercise machines all over the place. There was another section of the building that looked like it was designed to train fighters. There were punching bags set up as well as a few wrestling rings. Some of the rings even had ponies fighting inside them.

"Now this seems like my kind of hangout spot." the griffon said eagerly.

Then the duo noticed an advertisement sign for a teaching position. It was all about teaching ponies how to defend themselves. Gilda signed up for an interview at once and luckily enough for her, the manager was available right away. After a brief meeting, as well as a demonstration of Gilda's fighting prowess, the griffon was hired. Her work schedule was nearly identical to Rainbow Dash's. The only difference was that Gilda had two days off compared to Rainbow Dash's one day off.

"Looks like Ponyville's gonna be a lot more awesome now." the griffon said.

"Just don't push them too hard G." Rainbow Dash replied in a teasing tone. "The last thing we need is an army of ponies that act like you."

With that she zoomed off with Gilda chasing after her. They certainly loved to get on each other's nerves a bit.


	6. Chapter 6: Sprints, Spells, and Snobs

**Chapter 6: Sprints, Spells, and Snobs**

Gilda woke up the next day feeling happier than she ever felt in her life. She was almost finished with getting Rainbow Dash's friends to trust her. The only one left was Twilight Sparkle. Gilda knew that the alicorn was a fair minded pony who didn't hold a grudge against the griffon. She felt that this would be an easy last task to finish off her near week long mission to prove to the other ponies that she wasn't a bully. Gilda got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. Surprisingly, Rainbow Dash didn't try to tackle the griffon. They hugged and ate their breakfast like they usually did.

"So G." Rainbow Dash said. "One more friend to go huh?"

"Yep." the griffon replied confidently. "Once Twilight trusts me then everything should be cool."

"Just remember not to annoy her." Rainbow Dash warned playfully. "She is a _princess_ after all."

Gilda grinned at her best friend as she spoke. "Don't worry Dash." she said. "By the end of the day I'll be just as cool and popular as you."

"In your dreams." Rainbow Dash teased.

Gilda grinned and then started to tickle Rainbow Dash a bit. The pegasus always did have a weakness that Gilda could exploit effortlessly. Rainbow Dash's pink and purple eyes were filled with tears of laughter until Gilda finally stopped messing with her.

"Jeez and I didn't even try to tackle you today." the pegasus said in a tone of mock irritation. The duo left the house and went to work.

Gilda's first day at her new job was awesome to say the least. She had helped quite a few ponies learn how to defend themselves from bullies and thugs. The ponies she taught ranged from helpless fillies to even full grown adult stallions and mares. Gilda took the work she did quite seriously. She was being paid to help them better themselves after all. When her shift had ended, Gilda flew back to Rainbow Dash's house to wash herself off. She knew that if she wanted Twilight Sparkle to trust her, it would help if she didn't smell like the gym that she just left. She decided to see if the purple alicorn was just roaming around but the griffon couldn't find her anywhere. Rainbow Dash had told her that Twilight Sparkle used to live in a tree that functioned as a library. However after an attack that took place a week or two before Gilda came back, the treehouse was deemed unsafe to live or study in. This was the reason why Twilight Sparkle had to live in her castle despite preferring the library. The mayor had decided to use the town's fund on a new library and the books that used to be at Golden Oaks Library were transferred over.

Gilda paid the new library a visit. Many ponies stared curiously at her. While her reputation as a bully was more or less gone, the ponies around town knew that Gilda usually didn't visit libraries. She was not that sort of griffon. Gilda walked through the aisles pretending to be interested in the books that lined the shelves. In reality however, she was searching for Twilight Sparkle.

_Jeez what am I her stalker or something?_ Gilda thought with a shudder. _This isn't the best way to get her to trust me._

Gilda walked around the library and saw Twilight Sparkle. The purple alicorn was reading a book but she was not alone. Sitting with Twilight Sparkle was a mare that Gilda had never seen before. The pony was a blue unicorn with a cutie mark that depicted a moon and a magic wand. However the most interesting thing about her was her outfit. The unicorn was wearing a cape and a pointed hat. Both articles of clothing were purple and were decorated with plenty of stars.

Gilda grabbed a book titled _The War Between Equestria and Grifforia_ off the shelf and walked over to their table. She didn't want to feel like she was intruding but at the same time it was the most available table in the library. Every other table was cluttered with books, papers, and quills. Many ponies took up the seats at each table so Gilda didn't have much of a choice in where she could sit. Pulling up a chair, Gilda sat down at the table and opened the book. At first she was reading it just to look busy but she actually found it quite interesting. Gilda had always wondered why the griffons in her kingdom hated ponies and this book seemed to explain it.

According to the book, Equestria and Grifforia had a war over fifty years ago. It was unclear which side started the war but both sides had wronged each other multiple times before the conflict had truly begun. While the death toll was nowhere near as devastating as it could have been, the war did major damage to both sides. Each kingdom had lost two or even three whole cities to their enemies. The war ended in a major stalemate and both sides agreed to call off the fighting. Since that day relations between the two kingdoms were extremely tense. Griffons heavily distrusted ponies and ponies felt the same way about griffons.

_That explains why everypony in Flight School ignored me._ Gilda thought to herself. _Well except Dash, but then again she never paid attention to history lectures._

Gilda looked up from the book she had just closed and noticed that Twilight Sparkle was staring at her intently. The blue unicorn seemed like she just didn't want to be seen by anypony at the moment. While Gilda was a bit curious about the blue mare's behavior, she kept her mind off of it.

"Hey Twilight." the griffon greeted in a hushed voice. They _were_ in a library after all. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing really Gilda." Twilight Sparkle responded. "Have you met Trixie?" she indicated the blue unicorn.

"Nice to meet ya Trixie." Gilda said to the mare as she extended her foreleg to her.

Trixie looked scared for a moment before she hesitantly accepted Gilda's offer. The unicorn stayed silent despite a curious glance from Gilda and a sympathetic look from Twilight Sparkle.

"So anyway." Twilight Sparkle said. "What are you up to today Gilda?"

"Nothing much." the griffon replied. "Just finished my shift at work and decided to drop by here."

"Really?" the alicorn asked in a skeptical voice. "A _library_ of all places?"

Gilda had a hard time thinking up an answer to the alicorn's question before she looked at the book. She held it up to Twilight Sparkle's face and spoke to her.

"I wanted to check this place out for something like this." she said while trying to keep a straight face. "I've been looking for an answer for a while." This statement wasn't _exactly _a lie. Gilda had been curious about the distrust between griffons and ponies for her whole life but she hadn't done much research about it.

"I see." Twilight Sparkle responded. "Well I've heard stranger things in my life. What were you looking for?"

"I wanted to know why griffons and ponies always hated each other." Gilda explained. "Everypony at Flight School thought Dash was crazy for hanging around me. Every griffon back home wasn't happy about who I was best friends with. I just wanted to know why."

"Well I can certainly understand that." the alicorn replied.

"So what have you been up to?" the griffon asked.

"Well I've been looking through all these books trying to find out what these spells do." she indicated her two papers with a list of spells on one and a list of outcomes on the other. "I used to have some notes but they got mixed up so I can't remember which spell does what."

"Why not just test them on someone?" the griffon asked.

"Without knowing what they do?" Twilight Sparkle replied in indignation.

"Well you'd know if they were dangerous right?" Gilda asked. "You would have remembered that. So what's the harm?"

"Hmm maybe you're right." Twilight Sparkle said. "But which pony should I test them on?"

"Who said anything about testing them on a pony?" Gilda asked. "Why not a griffon? I can help you."

Twilight Sparkle agreed to this and the trio walked over to her castle. Trixie walked off towards a spare room while the alicorn checked her list of spells.

"Okay first spell." she said. "I think this one is supposed to cure an upset stomach."

"Well then hit me with it." Gilda said.

Twilight Sparkle's horn glowed and she cast her spell on Gilda. The griffon's face turned green and she immediately sprinted towards the bathroom. The sounds that she made were more than enough to cause Twilight Sparkle's ears to flatten against her head. After a few minutes, Gilda left the bathroom looking quite worse for the wear.

"Wrong spell evidently." Twilight Sparkle muttered with a blush on her face.

"Really?" Gilda said sarcastically. "I didn't notice."

They went down the list of spells and the results ranged from Gilda's feathers changing colors, to her growing a mustache, and ending with her upset stomach finally being cured.

"That's the last of them." Twilight Sparkle muttered. "Thanks for the help Gilda."

"Not a problem." the griffon replied. "That's what I do for my friends."

The duo left the castle and strolled through the streets of Ponyville. Everypony greeted Twilight Sparkle formally since she was a princess. The alicorn frowned at the display and tried to insist that the ponies treat her like they always have.

"Being a princess isn't as great as you'd think." the purple mare said to Gilda. "I just wish that they'd treat me like they treat everypony else."

"Well you don't have to worry about me." Gilda said. "Doesn't matter if you're a princess or not I'd treat you the same way I treat Dash and all the others. Besides I never said I thought being a princess was great. I never had much of an interest in politics."

The duo walked in silence for a moment or two until Pinkie Pie interrupted them.

"Hey Twilight." she excitedly said. "Hey Gilda my BPGFF. Oh wait we're not BPGFFs yet are we? We are right?"

"Nice to see ya too Pinks." Gilda replied.

"Pinks? Who's Pinks?" Pinkie Pie asked while bouncing all around the griffon and the alicorn. "Is she a new friend? Where is she? Can I meet her? Should I throw her a party?" She rapidly asked each question, one right after another, speaking faster than Gilda thought was physically possible.

"Pinks isn't a new friend." Gilda said. "Pinks is a nickname I made up for you. Like it?"

"Ohhh a nickname." Pinkie Pie said. "Guess I won't need this banner then." She folded up a banner that said 'Welcome to Ponyville Pinks!' in bright bold letters.

"How did she manage to make that in like two seconds?" Gilda muttered to Twilight Sparkle. "Without even getting anything to make it with?"

"It's just Pinkie being Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle replied. "Just go with it. It's easier that way, trust me."

"Hmm. Pinks." Pinkie Pie said thoughtfully. "I like it. I love it. It's super duper amazing!"

Gilda grinned at this statement. Pinkie Pie might be somewhat, or rather, really strange but she was still a great friend. Aside from Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie was easily Gilda's greatest friend. She had such a cheerful personality that it was hard for the griffon not to smile when she was hanging around her.

"Glad to hear it Pinks." Gilda said.

"So are we gonna pull any pranks today Gilda?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Or are we gonna plan them out today? I just wanna spend time with my BPGFF!"

Pinkie Pie's excitement was intoxicating. Gilda couldn't help but smile as Pinkie Pie hopped around them excitedly. She had asked Rainbow Dash what BPGFF meant and the pegasus said it probably meant something like Best Pony Griffon Friends Forever.

"Soon Pinks I promise." Gilda said.

"Oki doki loki." Pinkie Pie replied as she bounced off on her merry way. Gilda grinned as she watched her go.

"You're really getting along well with Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle said.

"Yeah." Gilda replied. "I used to think she was annoying but now she's pretty funny. She's the one that helped me get Dash back. I can't thank her enough for that."

"Well Pinkie was torn up to see how you and Rainbow Dash split up. She really hates it when one of her parties goes wrong." Twilight Sparkle explained. "I think she worked hard to get you two back together because of her guilt."

"Why should she feel guilty?" Gilda asked. "I'm the one that yelled at everyone."

"Yes but Pinkie thought that it was her fault." Twilight Sparkle said seriously. "The pranks were Rainbow's idea but Pinkie saw how you blamed her and she thought that she made you two split up."

An uncomfortable silence fell among the two winged creatures. Gilda didn't know what to say. She didn't blame Pinkie Pie for what happened, but even she couldn't say that the pink pony had been entirely innocent the whole time. Gilda decided to try to steer the conversation towards something different.

"So what's up with that Trixie pony?" she asked. "She acted like she was scared of me."

"Trixie's not scared of _you._" the alicorn answered. "She just doesn't want anypony to know that she's in Ponyville."

"Well why not?" Gilda asked.

"I can't say." Twilight Sparkle replied. "I've been sworn to keep it a secret. She's a friend of mine but I'm the only one that she feels safe enough to talk to. Spike knows about her being here but he promised not to talk."

"Well it's been fun hanging with you." Gilda said. "But I'm off to the gym. Dash has been trying to catch me off guard all week so I need to stay in shape. Do you need anything before I jet?"

"Well now that you mention it." Twilight Sparkle began. "I was planning on going stargazing with Trixie later tonight. The only problem is every time I lie down on my back I keep lying on my wings and then they get really sore. Can you help?"

"I think I have an idea." Gilda said. "Follow me." The griffon led the way into the gym and Twilight Sparkle followed uncertainly. When they entered, the ponies in the room gave Twilight Sparkle the same curious glances that the ponies at the library gave Gilda. Even if Twilight Sparkle wasn't a princess, seeing her in a gym would be quite strange since she wasn't an athletic type. Gilda walked up to the counter and talked to the salespony.

'Well how ya doin' Gilda?" the salespony said. "And Your Majesty. What an honor." He immediately sank into a bow in front of Twilight Sparkle, much to her disapproval.

"I need to help a friend of mine." Gilda said. "Twilight here got challenged to a race by someone. So she needs one of those wing restraints. Just to make sure everything stays fair ya know."

"Yeah I hear ya." the salespony replied. "I'm sure I've got some in stock. What color would ya like Your Majesty?"

"Umm I guess I'll go with purple. Same as my wings." Twilight Sparkle replied. "And please just call me Twilight. I'd prefer that."

"I'll see what I have in stock Your Maj- I mean Twilight." he amended hastily. He went into the stockroom to look for what Twilight Sparkle wanted and within a minute he returned.

"You're in luck." he said. "This is the last one we got."

He held out an elastic band that was the exact same shade of purple as Twilight Sparkle's body. The alicorn put on the elastic band, with some assistance from Gilda, and found that it fit perfectly.

"I'll take it." she said happily. "How much is it?"

"I can't accept your money." the salespony said. "You're a princess after all."

"I insist on paying." Twilight Sparkle said. "How much?"

"Ten bits then." the salespony replied as Twilight Sparkle paid for her purchase.

"By the way." he said. "Out of curiosity who challenged you?"

"Umm." the alicorn began nervously.

"I did." Gilda said in a determined tone.

"Well then good luck Twilight because you'll need it." the salespony replied. "Gilda may not be as fast as Rainbow Dash but she's got a lot of speed in her."

The duo walked out of the gym and strolled through town.

"Why did you lie for me?" she asked.

"I didn't." Gilda replied with a hint of mischief in her voice.

"But you said that you challenged me to a race." the alicorn said to the griffon.

"And that's what I'm gonna do right now." Gilda said. "I challenge you to a race."

Twilight Sparkle immediately stopped in her tracks as Gilda gave her a cocky grin. The griffon continued talking to the stunned alicorn.

"Listen with how the ponies in that gym are." she began. "The whole town'll hear about it in like ten minutes. So we might as well actually race."

"I guess you're right." Twilight Sparkle said. "Is there a wager?"

"Nah." Gilda replied. "We both pretty much got cornered into this so it'll just be for fun. But don't go easy on me 'cause I'm gonna give it everything I got."

Twilight Sparkle agreed and just like Gilda predicted, the whole town was buzzing about the 'race' that they were going to have. Rainbow Dash and the other ponies joined them and asked how this whole situation started. Gilda explained it to them and they decided to have their race through the forest that Gilda had been to so often. The ponies were lined up at the starting line with looks of anticipation on each and every face. Applejack stood in between the alicorn and the griffon. The cowgirl had volunteered to be the judge of the race. Gilda put on an elastic band that was the same as Twilight Sparkle's band except that it was brown instead of purple. The duo got themselves prepared and waited for Applejack's signal.

"Good luck." Gilda said with her paw outstretched. Twilight Sparkle accepted and they shook. Gilda quietly muttered something that only the alicorn could hear.

"Sparklebutt." she said.

Twilight Sparkle turned to glare at Gilda but then her expression changed from anger to mischief.

"Good luck to you too." she said. Then in a hushed voice that only Gilda would hear she continued.

"Gildylocks." she whispered.

Gilda glared at the alicorn who had a grin on her face.

"Oh it's ON!" she said fiercely.

Meanwhile in the crowd, the rest of the Mane Six ponies, minus Applejack, watched the conversation between the alicorn and the griffon.

"What did Twilight say to Gilda?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Gilda looks really really steamed like carrots." Pinkie Pie said. "Or maybe broccoli. Or no asparagus."

"Whatever Twilight said, Gilda didn't like it." Rarity noticed.

"What do you think Rainbow?" Spike asked.

"I think they just did a bit of trash talking." Rainbow Dash said.

"And?" the others asked.

"And I think Twilight out did Gilda." the pegasus finished.

They watched as Applejack began the countdown.

"One." she began. "Two."

Both the griffon and the alicorn had looks of determination on their faces.

"Three."

They bent their legs, preparing to sprint.

"GO!" the cowgirl shouted.

The two of them sprinted forwards to thunderous cheers from the audience. While Twilight Sparkle would normally take a race slowly, this race was a quick dash in a straight line to the end and back. She also remembered that Gilda told her not to go easy on her and she decided that she wouldn't. The duo sprinted through the forest as many branches, stumps, and rocks got in their path. They both avoided the stumps and rocks in the same way, but the branches were a different matter. While Twilight Sparkle ducked, jumped, and dodged her way past the branches, Gilda had a much different approach. Being a griffon gave her much more strength than most ponies, and Gilda used that strength to smash through each and every branch as if they were nothing. They reached the tree that marked the end of the line, touched it, and turned around. They raced back to where they started with as much intensity as possible. They were neck and neck when they saw the crowd of cheering ponies. Gilda dug deep inside her and gathered enough speed to pull ahead of Twilight Sparkle and win the race.

"The winner of this race is Gilda!" Applejack announced.

Twilight Sparkle kept sprinting until she crossed the finish line. After that, she slowed to a stop and breathed deeply. She congratulated Gilda on winning the race and Gilda complimented her performance as well. The duo left the forest together and Twilight's eyes widened.

"What's wrong Twi?" Gilda asked.

"I forgot." she said. "There was one more spell on my list! You don't mind helping me just a bit more right?"

"It's cool." the griffon replied.

Twilight Sparkle looked down at her list and cast the final spell. Gilda tried to prepare herself for anything. Twilight Sparkle's horn glowed and she used her magic on Gilda. Then she let out a huge gasp of surprise.

"What's wrong?" Gilda asked with concern. "Did it backfire or something?"

"Umm Gilda you won't believe this." the alicorn began.

"What?"

"You're invisible!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed.

"I am?" she asked. She brought her claws up to her face but they weren't there! She could feel them but she couldn't see them. She really was invisible.

"This is AWESOME!" she yelled.

"No this is terrible." Twilight Sparkle argued. "I have to find a way to fix this."

"Well then I'll leave you to it." Gilda said.

"Oh no you won't" Twilight Sparkle replied. "I can't let you walk around invisible all by yourself."

Gilda grinned even though Twilight Sparkle couldn't see her.

"All right then how's this." she began. "Get two ponies to stick with me until you fix this mess."

"Fine but not Rainbow Dash." Twilight Sparkle said firmly.

The alicorn persuaded Applejack and Pinkie Pie to stay next to Gilda until she found a counter spell for her.

"Yay now I get to spend time with my BPGFF!" Pinkie Pie excitedly declared.

"Ya can count on us Twi." Applejack said.

The trio walked off and into town. Gilda was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to pull off the pranks that she had in mind when she turned invisible. But that didn't stop her from pulling a few practical jokes. The ponies that got pranked were scared at first but they lightened up and laughed when they realized what had happened. Pinkie Pie was eager to help as much as she could. Gilda was laughing with her. She and Pinkie Pie were really good friends. Even Applejack chuckled a bit at their pranks. Then the trio decided to relax in the forest clearing. However they got interrupted by some uninvited guests.

"Well well well what do we have here?" an arrogant voice rang out.

The trio turned and saw a female earth pony. Her body was a very pale pink and white color. Her cutie mark was unable to be seen as it was covered by a very fancy dress. Her mane flowed in an elegant curling fashion as the colors ranged from dark purple near her head to pink to white at the very end of her mane. Her tail had the same color scheme as her mane. Standing next to the mare were two stallions that could very well be twins. Having the same muscular build as Big Macintosh, these stallions had dark brown bodies with straw colored manes that were cut very short. Their cutie marks could not be seen either as they were both wearing dark black shirts and pants. Standing on either side of the mare, they looked like bodyguards.

"Look at what we've found boys." the mare continued. "It's our old friend Stinkie Pie."

Pinkie Pie was saddened by this as she revealed that the three ponies were bullies that she had met as a filly. Applejack angrily told the bullies to leave Pinkie Pie alone but they ignored her.

"And look who's with her." the mare said. "Crapplejack. I can't believe that she's been educated enough to speak full sentences."

At that moment Applejack made a movement towards the bullies but Gilda held her back.

"Leave it to me." she whispered. "Just keep Pinkie safe."

Applejack glanced at where she thought Gilda stood. Then she glanced at Pinkie Pie, who was getting close to tears, and the cowgirl nodded at Gilda. The griffon moved silently and stealthily away from the others. Gilda was going to show those bullies what happened to ponies that messed with any of her friends. She hid behind a tree, got herself prepared, and decided to get their attention. She whistled at the bullies, who immediately stopped laughing and looked for the source of the noise.

"Who's there?" the mare demanded. "Show yourself haybrain!"

Gilda didn't answer. Instead, she picked up a clawful of mud and flung it at the bullies. The mare reacted in time to get out of the way, but the stallions were not so lucky. One of them took the hit right to the face and then they ran for cover as more mud balls followed. Applejack grabbed Pinkie Pie, pulled her out of harm's way and the duo watched the scene unfold. Gilda snuck away from her hiding spot and towards the bullies.

"Don't stand there do something!" the mare yelled at one of her companions.

"What am I supposed to do?" the stallion yelled back.

While they were bickering, Gilda snuck up beside the third bully and pulled his pants down. The bully blushed furiously and tried to pull his pants back up. Gilda took advantage of him being distracted to kick him right in the hindquarters. The stallion fell forwards and hit the ground with a thud. Gilda then snuck up behind the second stallion and swept her foreleg underneath his hind legs. The stallion fell backwards and hit the ground. The mare screamed loudly and ran unknowingly towards Gilda. Gilda 'accidentally' outstretched her foreleg and the mare tripped right over her and landed in dirt. The three bullies then got up and ran off screaming. Gilda walked over to Pinkie Pie.

"You okay Pinks?" she asked.

Pinkie Pie silently nodded and then hugged Gilda.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed.

Gilda grinned and returned the hug.

"No problem Pinks." she said. "I wasn't gonna let them mess with my BPGFF now was I?"

"You mean it?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Of course." Gilda replied. "You're my BPGFF."

"Anypony mind tellin' me what that stands for?" Applejack asked.

The duo explained it to the cowgirl and then the trio walked back into Ponyville laughing to their hearts' content. They saw Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies approaching them.

"I just saw three ponies running for their lives covered in dirt." the alicorn said angrily. "What did you do Applejack?"

"Ah can't say Ah did anything to them." Applejack replied.

"Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle began.

"I didn't have anything to do with anything." the party pony replied.

"Where's Gilda?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Well." Gilda began as she snuck up near Twilight Sparkle. "You could say that Gilda is right under your nose." With that she lifted the purple mare above her head and laughed. Twilight Sparkle looked scared for a moment but then she started laughing too.

"Put me down Gilda." Twilight Sparkle said. "I have to turn you back to normal."

"Awww already?" Gilda pouted.

The alicorn nodded and Gilda put her back down as Twilight Sparkle cast her spell. Suddenly Gilda appeared right before their eyes. Then she burst out laughing.

"You should have seen the look on your face Twi." she said. "Priceless!"

Gilda quickly told the others the story about what she did to the bullies. They were shocked by what she did but when she revealed that she did it to help Pinkie Pie they were pleased.

"Your the best BPGFF I've ever had!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she pulled Gilda into a bone crushing hug.

"Same here Pinks." Gilda replied.

The party pony let go of Gilda and the group went back to their respective houses. Rainbow Dash cornered Gilda right when they were inside the cloud castle.

"I can't believe you G." she said.

"What?" Gilda asked.

"How could you do this to me?" she asked in a hurt voice.

"Dash what's wrong?" Gilda asked in a concern tone.

"I thought that we were BPGFFs." she said.

"We are." Gilda told her in a worried tone. She gave Rainbow Dash a comforting look but then the pegasus erupted into a fit of laughter.

"I got ya there G!" she exclaimed. "I was just messing with you."

"Oh you." Gilda growled as she chased Rainbow Dash all around the house.

Just a typical day for two BPGFFs.


	7. Chapter 7: Gilda Appreciation Day Part 1

**Chapter 7: Gilda Appreciation Day Part One**

Gilda's wake up the next day was not what she expected. First of all, she had a day off so she was planning on sleeping in much later. Secondly, she was _not _expecting to be woken up by being tackled by Rainbow Dash, then blindfolded by Pinkie Pie, and being forced out of the house without even having breakfast. The griffon had no clue what was happening and she was beyond annoyed.

"Just what are you guys doing?" she yelled. "Where are we going?"

"I told you silly it's a surprise." Pinkie Pie's voice said.

Unbeknownst to Gilda, this whole day had been preplanned by the six ponies and one dragon that surrounded her. They had all met up the previous night to discuss something that Gilda didn't know about. Now Gilda understood why she wasn't invited to the conversation. The ponies and dragon half dragged half pushed her to wherever they were heading. Gilda heard the tinkling of a bell and felt herself being seated down on a comfortable seat. The blindfold was removed and Gilda glared at her friends who were all grinning broadly.

"What's with you?" she hissed. "And where are we?"

"You'll see." Rainbow Dash said with a mischievous grin.

Gilda glared at her best friend and then a smell filled her nostrils. Gilda sniffed and her mood took a sudden upturn. She knew that smell, but there was no way that she could be right. Still the scent was unmistakeable. Gilda decided to wait and see if her hunch was right. She glanced around and figured that she must be in some kind of restaurant. This only made her more certain about what the smell was. But it couldn't be.

A waiter came to their table and the smell was even stronger. He placed a large platter that was covered by a shiny silver lid on the table in front of Gilda. The griffon stared at the lid before her and lifted it up. She gasped in amazement at what she saw. A plate filled with bacon that was sitting next to a plate of pancakes with syrup. The syrup spelled out a message that read:

'Gilda Appreciation Day!'

"Is this bacon?" she asked in a stunned tone. Her friends nodded in response. "For me?" she asked. They nodded again.

Gilda didn't know what to say, so she did the only rational thing that came to mind: she grabbed some slices of bacon and ate them. The food was mouthwateringly delicious. Bacon was Gilda's favorite thing to eat back home and she hadn't had it in such a long time. She couldn't believe that a restaurant in Ponyville was serving this food but it was happening. Then the waiter came back and placed small dishes of bacon and pancakes in front of her friends and they ate eagerly.

"I thought ponies didn't eat meat." she said.

"That's 'cause nopony's ever been _offered_ meat." Rainbow Dash explained as she ate a piece of bacon.

"You should always be open to new things." Twilight Sparkle said.

"Gilda you were right." Spike said. "Bacon really _is _delicious."

Gilda ate in silent amazement. Not only was a restaurant in Ponyville serving her favorite food to her but her friends were eating it too.

"Did you guys do this for me?" she asked. They all nodded. "Wow thanks guys."

"Don't thank us yet." Fluttershy said with a smile.

"The fun's only just beginning." Pinkie Pie said with excitement in her voice.

They finished their breakfast and Gilda was still in so much shock that her friends ate bacon and that they had gotten it cooked for her, that she didn't even notice Pinkie Pie placing the blindfold back over her eyes.

"No peeking." she said with a giggle.

They paid for their meal and walked out of the restaurant. Gilda was getting excited. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Her friends had gone through the trouble of finding her a restaurant that served meat. They really were great friends. They walked together in silence for another ten minutes or so before they finally stopped.

"Where are we?" Gilda asked eagerly.

"Just a minute." Rarity's voice said with a small laugh.

"Eight pony party under Fluttershy." Fluttershy's voice said.

"Ok this way." a voice said.

The group followed the voice with Gilda still blindfolded.

"Umm is she _supposed_ to be blindfolded?" the voice asked in a confused tone.

Instantly Pinkie Pie let out a gasp and undid the blindfold over Gilda's eyes. Gilda glanced at all of her friends and wondered what was going on and where they were. The pony welcomed them to Ponyville's first Paintballing Arena.

"No way." Gilda whispered.

"You like it G?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I can't believe this." she said in an awe filled voice.

After a brief lesson about safety, rules, and all that stuff, the group was told to split into two teams of four.

"Me and you are captains G." Rainbow Dash said. "Hoof wrestle for first pick."

Gilda balled her paw into a fist and took up Rainbow Dash's challenge. The pegasus narrowly won so she got first pick.

"AJ you're on my team." Rainbow Dash said without hesitation.

Gilda smirked to herself. Sometimes Rainbow Dash was so typical. Between the five ponies and Spike, Applejack was the most athletic so Gilda knew that Rainbow Dash would want the cowgirl on her team.

"All right then." Gilda said. "Pinks you're on my team."

Pinkie Pie eagerly hopped over to Gilda's side and they bumped their hoof and fist together.

"I pick Twilight." Rainbow Dash said.

"Spike get over here buddy." Gilda said to the dragon.

Now only Rarity and Fluttershy remained. Rainbow Dash looked at the two of them and made her decision.

"Rarity you're on my team." she said.

The unicorn walked over to Rainbow Dash's group while Fluttershy looked saddened by the fact that she was picked last.

"Not by default, I'll pick Fluttershy." Gilda said.

The yellow pegasus walked over to the griffon's team.

"Umm Gilda what does 'not by default' mean?" she asked.

"It means that if I had a choice I'd still pick you." Gilda replied with a grin.

The two teams put on their safety gear and walked over to the storage room. The inside was split into two sections: red and blue. Gilda's team went over to the red side while Rainbow Dash's team went over to the blue side. Everypony grabbed a paintball gun and loaded a hundred paintballs into containers which were attached to the guns. The weapons were modified so that any creature could use them whether they were pony, griffon, or dragon. They marched out to opposite ends of an arena. They had one minute to strategize before the buzzer would sound and the game would begin. The rules were three hits means elimination. Since the paintballs were color coded, it didn't count if somepony hit one of their teammates.

"All right guys." Gilda said. "Here's the plan. I'll handle Dash. Pinkie you take Applejack. Spike you go after Twilight and Fluttershy your going up against Rarity."

Spike nodded eagerly. He was excited to finally be able to vent some of his annoyance with Twilight Sparkle right at her. Pinkie Pie was as enthusiastic as always. Fluttershy meanwhile hoped that she wouldn't hurt anypony but Gilda assured her that with the safety gear they were wearing the paintballs wouldn't hurt at all. The buzzer sounded and they walked into the open arena. It was filled with low walls and a bunch of obstacles that could be used for cover. The four stayed on their guard as they slowly traversed the landscape looking for any sign of their opponents. A paintball whizzed right over Spike's head and hit a fake tree leaving a splatter of blue paint.

"Split up and remember the plan guys." Gilda shouted. She quickly darted around looking for her target. She saw the paintballs flying everywhere. Pinkie Pie seemed to just be shooting blindly. She wound up hitting almost everypony at least once. The party obsessed pony even managed to hit herself somehow. Luckily it didn't count. Meanwhile Spike scored a hit on Twilight Sparkle which meant that she only had one hit left before she was eliminated from the match. Gilda had been hit but thankfully it was only a stray paintball from Pinkie Pie so it didn't count. Fluttershy managed to hit Rarity once. The paintballs stopped flying and everypony looked at Pinkie Pie. She had three red spots on her chest courtesy of Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She was out.

"One down three to go." Rainbow Dash confidently yelled as Pinkie Pie walked out of the arena.

Rarity squealed in pain as a second paintball hit her. One more hit and she'd be eliminated. Gilda went after Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle while Fluttershy got distracted by Applejack. Spike was left looking for Rarity. He felt a paintball whiz past his head again. Another close call for the dragon. Then he saw Rarity pointing her paintball gun at Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus only had one hit left and she didn't notice the unicorn aiming at her. Spike fired his paintball gun and Rarity let out a squeal. She was eliminated.

As Rarity walked out of the arena, Spike watched her in shock. He couldn't believe what he did. He didn't feel the first paintball hit him in the tail. Then a second paintball, this time to the chest, got his attention. Twilight Sparkle was aiming a third shot at him, but he was quicker. He fired a paintball at Twilight Sparkle and the alicorn was out. Then a paintball shot from Rainbow Dash hit him right in the head, thus eliminating him from the game.

After Spike's elimination, the teams regrouped. Fluttershy and Applejack had each been hit twice while Gilda and Rainbow Dash had only been hit once each. The two teams bravely charged towards each other. Rainbow Dash and Gilda managed to get another hit on each other. Then Fluttershy hit Applejack, eliminating the cowgirl from the game.

"Nice shot Fluttershy." Gilda called out.

Then Fluttershy saw that Rainbow Dash had snuck past Gilda and was aiming at her from behind. Gilda didn't notice since she was too busy complimenting the pegasus.

"Look out Gilda!" Fluttershy yelled as she dove right behind the griffon just as Rainbow Dash fired her paintball gun,

Fluttershy was hit right in the chest. She was out. Only Gilda and Rainbow Dash remained in the game. Both the pegasus and the griffon had been hit twice. One more hit would finish them off.

"Look like you're on your last hit Dash." Gilda taunted.

"Same for you G!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"Only one way to settle this." Gilda said.

"Captain's Duel?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Captain's Duel." Gilda replied.

The two of them walked up to each other and then stood on their hind legs with their backs against each other. They each walked ten steps and waited.

"One." Gilda said.

"Two." Rainbow Dash continued.

There was a tense silence for a moment.

"THREE!" they both yelled as they turned and fired.

Gilda had ducked her head to the side just enough to avoid getting hit. Rainbow Dash, however, wasn't so fortunate. The paintball nailed her right in the chest, Gilda's team won. Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Fluttershy cheered for Gilda. The eight of them returned their paintball guns and their safety gear and they were on their way. Right after they exited the building, Pinkie Pie put the blindfold back over Gilda's eyes. The group walked for a while but when Rainbow Dash said that they needed to pick up the pace, they started running.

"So where are we headed?" Gilda asked.

"No time for that." Rainbow Dash replied. "We gotta hurry or we'll be late."

They ran for a few minutes before they finally came to a stop. Gilda was hearing a lot of noise but she couldn't figure out what any of it was. She was being led inside a building and then her blindfold was removed again. When she was able to see, Gilda was stunned. She and her friends were staring at a Go Kart Racing Track. The go karts had to going anywhere from a hundred to two hundred miles per hour. Gilda was definitely getting excited. They waited for the race to finish and they got a race for themselves. They each put on safety suits and helmets and got into a go kart. Every kart was a different color. There was red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, and white. Applejack took the orange go kart while Rarity chose the white one. The yellow and green go karts were taken by Fluttershy and Spike respectively. Twilight Sparkle chose the purple go kart while Pinkie Pie settled herself into the bright pink one. Rainbow Dash's go kart might not have been the same shade of blue as her body, but she liked it just the same. Gilda was left with the red go kart which didn't matter to her at all. They lined up at the starting line and waited for the green light. The lights flashed red, then yellow, and then green.

Eight go karts immediately sped out of the starting gate and the race began. Rainbow Dash took an early lead with Gilda right behind her. Pinkie Pie was in third place followed by Spike, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle. Rarity was in seventh place and she was just barely ahead of Fluttershy. The race would last three whole laps and the winner would get a victory lap. The race got more violent as time went by. Since safety wasn't a big issue due to the go karts themselves and the safety gear, everypony started ramming into each other. Fluttershy had lost her timid personality and seemed to have gone completely crazy. She was ramming into everypony she saw like there was no tomorrow. She sped into third place and was right behind Rainbow Dash and Gilda.

"Hey Dash." Gilda said. "Ever drive a go kart at two hundred miles per hour?"

"Only in my dreams." Rainbow Dash replied.

The first lap was over and Gilda and Rainbow Dash were neck and neck with Fluttershy right on their tails. Pinkie Pie was in fourth place while Rarity and Spike were in a battle for fifth. Twilight Sparkle was barely keeping herself in seventh place while trying to avoid being rammed into by a ferocious Applejack. Spike managed to hit Rarity's go kart, causing the unicorn to spin out and crash into Twilight Sparkle. Applejack started gaining on the young drake who nervously sped up and tried to pass Pinkie Pie. The pink pony was driving like a maniac and almost rammed right into Spike. Meanwhile Fluttershy was looking for any opening between the pegasus and the griffon.

The second lap ended and things were really getting heated up. Fluttershy tried ramming Gilda and Rainbow Dash out of her way but she was unsuccessful. Spike managed to get Pinkie Pie and Applejack to collide and he drove up into fourth place. He pulled up alongside Fluttershy and made her spin out just in the nick of time. Then he pulled right in between the red and blue go karts.

"Hello ladies." he said. "How's about giving a boy a shot at first place?"

Gilda shook her head at the young dragon. Then she gave Rainbow Dash a mischievous grin which the pegasus eagerly returned. The duo rammed into Spike causing him to spin out and crash into Fluttershy.

"Looks like the two of us still have the lead." Gilda said.

"One too many." Rainbow Dash replied with a cocky grin on her face.

The duo rounded the last turn and they were still neck and neck. They pushed their go karts to the absolute limit and Gilda managed to just barely get ahead of Rainbow Dash and win the race. She took a victory lap as the others parked their go karts at the starting line and waited for her to finish. Gilda made it back to the start and triumphantly got out of her red go kart.

"I guess red is just my lucky color for today." she said confidently. The screen above the track displayed the final results:

First Place: Gilda

Second Place: Rainbow Dash

Third Place: Spike

Fourth Place: Fluttershy

Fifth Place: Rarity

Sixth Place: Applejack

Seventh Place: Twilight Sparkle

Eight Place: Pinkie Pie

The group of eight left the Go Kart track and once again, Gilda was blindfolded by Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash said that they were in for a long walk this time but she said that the surprise would be well worth the wait. Gilda's excitement was growing. What else did her friends have in store for her?


	8. Chapter 8: Gilda Appreciation Day Part 2

**Chapter 8: Gilda Appreciation Day Part Two**

Gilda and her friends continued to walk. The griffon wondered what her friends had planned for her. So far they treated her to a breakfast with bacon, a paintball match, and a go kart race. What else could they have thought of? Gilda was still wearing the blindfold that Pinkie Pie put on her as the group walked onwards.

"Come on Dash where are we going?" Gilda asked.

"You'll just have to wait until we get there G." Rainbow Dash replied.

They walked for another ten minutes before Gilda was able to hear the voices of many excited ponies. She felt herself being placed in a line with the others and waited for them to move with her.

"Tickets." a voice said.

"Right here." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Go on in and enjoy the show." the voice said.

Gilda and the others walked into a stadium and sat down in a line. Pinkie Pie removed the blindfold from Gilda's face and the griffon blinked her eyes a few times before looking at what she saw. She let out a gasp of surprise as she realized that they were going to be seeing a wrestling match.

"Is this the Wrestling World of Equestria?" she asked.

"The one and only." Rainbow Dash replied.

"I wonder who's fighting today." Spike said.

"All Ah've heard is that it's supposed ta be a three on three matchup." Applejack said.

"Fighting?" Fluttershy asked. "Is it dangerous."

"Don't worry Fluttershy." Twilight Sparkle said in a soothing voice. "These ponies are professionals."

Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down in her seat, much to the annoyance of the ponies behind her.

"This is gonna be super duper fun," she exclaimed. "Are ya excited BPGFF?"

"You bet I am." Gilda replied.

Then the lights dimmed and the crowd began to cheer.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, are you ready to see the most jaw dropping, heart pounding fight you'll ever see?" a voice shouted. A huge amount of cheering followed this announcement. All of a sudden music started playing. It sounded like the music that would be played to introduce Princess Celestia or some other pony of royalty. A stallion with a dark brown body and a black curly mane started to approach the ring. He was wearing a red and white cape and a crown that was made for a king.

"And making his way to the ring, weighing in at one hundred and six pounds: King Boomer B!"

The audience cheered as King Boomer B. entered the ring and removed his cape and crown. They waited to see who else would enter the ring. Then King Boomer B.'s music stopped playing and silence fell.

"Mr. Serenity!" a voice shouted as music started playing. The lyrics were hard to understand but nopony paid attention. A stallion with a light tan body and a short blonde mane approached the ring.

"And making his way to the ring, weighing in at ninety one pounds: Mr. Serenity!" the announcer shouted.

A large amount of enthusiastic cheering followed. Mr. Serenity was clearly popular. The blonde stallion entered the ring and stood next to King Boomer B. The two were obviously teammates. Then his music died down and silence filled the stadium. The crowd was on edge. Who was next?

The sound of a clock ticking filled the stadium. A voice counted to two and asked if somepony could hear the clock ticking. The song continued and a stallion walked towards the ring. He had a light brown body with a short dark brown mane. He was wearing a blue and silver outfit decorated with shiny gems.

"And making his way to the ring, weighing in at eighty eight pounds: Master Victorious Perfection M! V! Pony!" the announcer shouted.

The audience cheered as M V Pony entered the ring, stood on his hind legs, and spread his forelegs out with a grin on his face. Then his song died down and the audience fell into a hush. Since M V Pony was on the same team as the other two fighters, who were they facing?

All of a sudden a guitar started playing loudly. A voice shouted 'YEAH' at the top of his lungs. The guitar continued to play as a quieter voice shouted that he walks alone. The lyrics were about how the singer walked alone in a dangerous area where nopony followed him. While the song was playing, a stallion with a muscular build and a short brown mane approached the ring.

"And making his way to the ring, weighing in at one hundred and forty pounds: Dabeasta!" the announcer cheered.

The audience was going wild. Dabeasta was clearly well liked. The cheering was tumultuous near Gilda and her friends. Spike was cheering at the top of his lungs. All of a sudden he did something quite strange. He jumped right onto Twilight Sparkle's head and made motions as if he was playing a guitar in tune to Dabeasta's theme. He kept it up until the music died down, at which point he sat back down in his seat.

"I guess you like him huh?" Gilda asked.

"He's been my favorite ever since he started." Spike answered.

The audience was silent as they waited for the next wrestler to enter. All of a sudden loud music blasted as the area where the wrestlers entered seemed to be filled with fire. A stallion with a light colored body and very little if any mane walked towards the ring. He was bare chested and he was wearing black pants with red on parts of it. His face wore a look of intense anger.

"And making his way to the ring, weighing in at one hundred and seventy three pounds: Flame!" the announcer shouted amongst the cheers of many ponies, including Rainbow Dash.

"Aww yeah!" the light blue pegasus shouted. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"Flame's your favorite?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yep." Rainbow Dash replied. "Ever since I was a filly I liked him."

Flame's theme died down and the crowd was silent. On one end of the ring they had King Boomer B., Mr Serenity, and M V Pony. On the other end they had Dabeasta, Flame, and who else?

All of a sudden the sound of a bell or a gong pierced the silent stadium. There was a second or two of silence and then the sound of a thunderstorm followed. The bell or gong sound was repeated among what sounded like a choir or something.

"No way." Gilda whispered.

"What?" Rarity asked.

"It can't be." the griffon whispered in shock. "_Him_?"

"Who?" Fluttershy asked.

Her question was answered soon as a stallion approached the ring. They couldn't see much of his body or his mane because of his outfit. His clothing consisted of a black overcoat and hat as well as what seemed to be black pants.

"And making his way to the ring, weighing in at one hundred and fifty five pounds: The Thundermaker!" the announcer cheered.

The audience's response was the loudest one yet. Clearly The Thundermaker was the most popular of the bunch. Gilda's reaction was quite shocking. She was cheering as loud as Spike cheered for Dabeasta.

"I can't believe it." she said.

"Your favorite?" the others asked.

"Yep."

They watched as The Thundermaker entered the ring and removed his coat. His black pants were revealed to actually be a black sleeveless leotard. He stood on his hind legs in the center of the ring and slowly moved his forelegs up to his head and removed his hat. When the hat came off, Fluttershy let out a quiet squeak. The Thundermaker had rolled his eyes into the back of his head so that only the whites could be seen. The cheering died down and the fight began.

The fight was a no count out no disqualification match. In other words: there were pretty much no rules. Instantly, Flame launched himself at M V Pony and punched him in the face. The Thundermaker squared off against Mr. Serenity while Dabeasta fought against King Boomer B. M V Pony was getting picked apart by Flame. Mr. Serenity ran from The Thundermaker, who slowly gave chase. Meanwhile, Dabeasta had grabbed hold a of one of King Boomer B.'s forelegs and was walking along the highest rope. He jumped and smacked King Boomer B. right in the face, much to Spike's approval. As Flame slammed M V Pony down to the canvas, Mr. Serenity snuck up behind him and punched him right in between the legs much to the audience's anger.

Normally a move like that would have cost Mr. Serenity and his teammates the match. But since this was a no disqualification matchup it was legal. The Thundermaker caught up with Mr. Serenity while Flame was getting attacked by M V Pony. Mr. Serenity's attack was dishonorable but it did the job. M V Pony took advantage of Flame as he fell to his knees in pain. Soon enough Flame recovered and grabbed M V Pony by the neck and slammed him down to the ground. Rainbow Dash cheered her favorite wrestler on as he climbed up to the top rope and jumped from it. On his way down, he punched M V Pony right in the face. The Thundermaker then lifted Mr. Serenity up and slammed him down.

The fight continued for the next twenty minutes before something incredible happened. M. V Pony and Mr. Serenity managed to knock their opponents down. King Boomer B. kept Dabeasta busy while the other two tried to pin Flame. The referee counted to two before Flame kicked his legs, thus breaking up the count. Dabeasta knocked King Boomer B. aside and attacked M V Pony and Mr. Serenity. Then Flame and The Thundermaker got back up and attacked their targets. Soon enough Dabeasta lifted King Boomer B. onto his hind legs and tossed one of his forelegs over his left shoulder. Flame and The Thundermaker did the same for M V Pony and Mr. Serenity. Then the trio lifted their enemies up and slammed them down to the floor. M V Pony and King Boomer B. were pushed out of the ring while The Thundermaker lifted Mr. Serenity up and turned him upside down. He then fell to his knees causing Mr. Serenity's head to hit the floor. Gilda cheered as The Thundermaker started to pin Mr. Serenity down.

"ONE! TWO! THREE!" The referee and the crowd chanted. Then a bell rang three times signifying the end of the match.

"The winners of this match Dabeasta, Flame, and The Thundermaker!" the announcer cheered much to the audience's approval. The crowd got up and headed for the exits discussing the match.

"That was AWESOME!" Gilda, Rainbow Dash, and Spike shouted in unison. They rapidly talked about their favorite wrestlers' performances in excited voices.

Pinkie Pie took this opportunity to slip the blindfold back over Gilda's eyes. Then the group of eight headed off to their next destination. Whatever it may be.

Gilda's stomach started to grumble a bit.

"Hungry G?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well I didn't have lunch today so yeah I'm pretty hungry Dash." Gilda replied.

The group headed into another building and Gilda's nostrils caught another familiar smell. It wasn't bacon but it was something almost as good. Pinkie Pie removed the blindfold and Gilda saw that they were back in the same restaurant from earlier in the day. A waiter came by and put a platter in front of Gilda. The griffon lifted the lid eagerly and saw a thick juicy steak sitting on a plate in front of her. She saw that her friends had ordered similar foods to her. They all started eating and the steak was delicious. Gilda hadn't eaten meat in such a long time and she missed it greatly.

When the group finished their meal, they left the restaurant. Pinkie Pie put the blindfold back on Gilda's face one more time. Then they walked for a while until they came to a stop and sat down. Gilda allowed herself to be pulled down to the ground and when she sat down, Pinkie Pie removed the blindfold. The eight of them were sitting in a field with a number of other ponies. All of a sudden a whistling sound was heard and a firework exploded in the sky.

Soon enough more fireworks followed. The night sky was filled with the bright and colorful lights of a whole bunch of fireworks. Then two fireworks collided and created a beautiful display of color. The fireworks went on for twenty minutes as all the ponies watched in awe. They couldn't tell who was setting them off but they enjoyed the fireworks immensely. When they ended everypony stood up on their hind legs and clapped.

Gilda and her friends got up and surprisingly Pinkie Pie didn't put the blindfold back on the griffon.

"So did ya have fun today BPGFF?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly.

"That was the most fun I've ever had in my life!" Gilda shouted. "Thanks guys!"

"It was all Pinkie's idea." Fluttershy admitted, "We just helped."

"See Gilda you were so nice to all of us and you helped us so I wanted to do you a favor or two or three or seven." the party pony said in an energetic tone.

"So everypony here came up with their own ideas." Twilight Sparkle explained.

Then Gilda's friends told Gilda about what each of them did. Spike planned the breakfast, Fluttershy booked the paintball arena, Applejack thought of the Go Kart race, Rainbow Dash had the idea of the wrestling match, Rarity planned the dinner, and Twilight Sparkle had a friend of hers put on the fireworks show. But they all gave Pinkie Pie the credit for coming up with what she called 'Gilda Appreciation Day!'

"You guys are the greatest friends ever." Gilda said quietly. "Thank you."

Soon the whole group joined together in a big group hug with Gilda in the middle. They were all great friends now. Then they all went to their own homes and laid down in their beds. Except for one.

**Author's Note:  
><strong>The wrestlers in this chapter are parodies of wrestlers I remember from WWE Friday Night Smackdown. King Boomer B. is Booker T. (Also known as King Booker) Mr. Serenity is Mr. Kennedy. Master Victorious Perfection is M.V.P. Dabeasta is Batista. Flame is Kane. The Thundermaker is The Undertaker. The reason I did this was because I could see Gilda being a fan of WWE plus I also wanted to see Undertaker, Kane, and Batista team up so I figured this would be a good idea to write.


	9. Chapter 9: The Letter

**Chapter 9: The Letter**

While everypony that had been a part of 'Gilda Appreciation Day' went to bed, Twilight Sparkle had one more thing to do. She had to write a friendship report to Princess Celestia. She may have been a princess herself, but today she learned a valuable lesson.

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_Today I learned a very important lesson. While first impressions are important that doesn't mean that they're always right. To be more specific, about a year ago a griffon named Gilda came to Ponyville. She was introduced to us as an old friend of Rainbow Dash's. However she didn't seem very friendly and her visit ended with her getting into an argument and Rainbow Dash losing her friend. Then, a year later, Gilda came back and tried to get Rainbow Dash to forgive her. When she was rejected she found help from the one pony that she treated worse than any other: Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie helped Gilda get Rainbow Dash back as a friend and in the week that followed, she befriended all of us and we learned that she wasn't as bad as we thought she was. We also heard her story and while I won't tell you the details out of respect for her privacy, it made a huge difference in our minds. We were instantly sympathetic with her and Rainbow Dash wished that she had known Gilda's story sooner because if she had then she wouldn't have kicked Gilda out of her life. The lesson at the end of the day is that you should always be willing to give others a second chance and you should try to find out the truth about somepony before you judge them._

_Your Faithful Former Student, Twilight Sparkle_

**Author's Note:  
><strong>I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story because this was a lot of fun to write. I would like to thank each and every one of you for reading this and I hope that you'll enjoy the stories that I plan on uploading later. I have made it a goal to get ten fanfictions written and published before the start of 2015. This is going to be tough but I'm enjoying this immensely and I hope you are as well. Thanks for reading!


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